35 Nepali Deported from the US Arrive in Kathmandu

A group of 35 Nepali citizens has been deported from the United States and arrived back in Kathmandu. Senior Superintendent of Police Krishna Pangeni of the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau reported that the majority of those deported had entered the U.S. through unauthorized routes. However, the group also included one individual who had initially entered on a student visa.

SSP Pangeni stated that the student visa holder was deported for violating the terms of their visa by working and failing to renew their college enrollment. Another deportee had traveled on a visit visa but was apprehended after beginning unauthorized employment. The remaining 33 individuals had entered the U.S. illegally via irregular, often perilous, routes. Investigations revealed that those who took the unauthorized route paid up to 80 lakh Nepali Rupees (NPR 8,000,000) to reach the country. Some individuals were deported even two years after illegally entering the U.S. through various countries.

Police have noted that most of the returned individuals hail from the Rukum and Dang regions of Nepal. Despite the circumstances of their return, the individuals have declined to file formal complaints regarding the process or the agents who facilitated their travel.

The U.S. began a more stringent policy toward unauthorized immigrants following the election of President Donald Trump. His administration initiated a campaign to repatriate immigrants residing in the U.S. without legal status. Since Mr. Trump took office, over 200 Nepali citizens have been deported from the United States as part of this broader policy.