37 Nepalis Deported from US????
“They came home with sacks, silence, and stories.”
On Sunday night, a chartered flight touched down in Kathmandu, carrying 37 Nepali citizens who had been deported from the United States. Among them were 32 men and 5 women—many visibly shaken, some carrying only a sack of personal items, and others with nothing at all.
This latest deportation marks a continuing wave of removals under the U.S. government’s tougher immigration policies following Donald Trump's return to office in January 2025. Since then, at least 140 Nepalis have been deported, either for overstaying their visas or for entering the country illegally.
Many of these individuals had left Nepal in search of a better life, only to find themselves in complex and risky immigration situations abroad. A significant number had paid large sums of money—sometimes up to several lakhs—to human traffickers and agents who promised them entry into the U.S. and the dream of a brighter future. Instead, they were arrested, detained, and ultimately forced to return home.
The deportees' arrival was met with officials from Nepal’s Department of Immigration and other agencies. Authorities conducted brief identity verifications and health checks but noted that in order to pursue legal action against human traffickers, formal complaints must first be registered by the returnees.
Some of the returnees avoided media attention, walking quickly into the arms of waiting family members. Others stayed silent, showing visible signs of distress. “I paid everything I had. Now I have nothing,” said one young man in his late twenties who did not wish to be named.
The increase in deportations from the U.S. has drawn concern from human rights groups and migration advocates in Nepal. Many worry that without proper legal protection and rehabilitation support, deported individuals could fall into deeper financial or emotional hardship.
Nepali officials say they are monitoring the situation closely and urge affected citizens to step forward if they were victims of trafficking or fraud. “We are ready to act once victims lodge formal complaints,” said one government representative at Tribhuvan International Airport.
While some returnees might try again through legal channels, others say they are too heartbroken and tired to think about leaving the country again. For now, the focus for many is on healing and starting over, even if that means beginning with nothing more than the sack they brought back from across the world.
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