Kathmandu, 22 Jul: On 25 Jestha 2082 (June 7, 2025), a total of 37 Nepali nationals deported from the United States arrived in Kathmandu. Among them were 32 men and 5 women, who landed at Tribhuvan International Airport around midnight.
The Department of Immigration conducted basic questioning upon their arrival. Additionally, a team from the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police also interrogated them. However, none of the returnees revealed the names of the individuals or agents who facilitated their travel to the U.S., nor were they willing to file any complaints. After the preliminary inquiry, they were handed over to their respective families and relatives.
One of the youths who was recently deported from the United States has now filed a complaint with the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau. “Most deportees refuse to speak or file complaints. However, after extensive counseling and persuasion, one youth who returned from the U.S. has filed a human trafficking case. We have initiated an investigation,” said SSP Krishna Pangeni, head of the bureau, in a statement to Onlinekhabar.
Under Nepalese law, investigations into human trafficking and smuggling cannot proceed without a formal complaint from the victim, which has posed challenges for law enforcement. Many victims are hesitant to come forward because trafficking networks often lure them again with promises to send them to another country—or assure them a refund if unsuccessful—discouraging them from reporting to the police.
Now, with a formal complaint filed by the youth, the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau has begun an investigation into the group that sent him to the United States. According to the bureau’s findings, the trafficking network had taken him from Kathmandu about a year and a half ago, promising to send him to the U.S.
Police officials said that around Kartik 2080 (October/November 2023), the youth was lured with dreams of reaching America. In his complaint, he stated that the traffickers promised to take him to the U.S. for Rs. 6.5 million, assuring that the money would be refunded if they failed to get him there.
Agreeing to the offer, he started raising the required amount. Once the money was ready, the trafficking group first took him to India via Tribhuvan International Airport. From there, he was routed through multiple countries before finally entering the United States.
The youth explained that after flying from Kathmandu to New Delhi, he was taken to Sri Lanka, and later to Dubai, where he was held for some time.
From Dubai, the youth was taken to Uzbekistan and then to South Africa. According to an officer involved in the investigation at the Human Trafficking Bureau, from South Africa, he was routed through Qatar in the Gulf and then to Spain in Europe. From Spain, he was sent to Brazil, a South American country. The human trafficking group had promised to get him into the U.S. from Brazil, but when that failed, he was instead taken to Bolivia.
From Bolivia, his journey continued through Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, eventually reaching Panama. During this time, the trafficking group repeatedly demanded more money. In addition to the Rs. 6.5 million he had already paid, the youth told police he was forced to send an additional Rs. 400,000 through his family.
He was arrested in Panama while trying to enter the United States. The youth had left Nepal in Kartik 2080 (October/November 2023) and reached the U.S. around Chaitra 2081 (March/April 2025), nearly a year and a half later. However, he was immediately taken into custody by U.S. authorities and held in detention for 56 days. He was later deported and arrived back in Kathmandu on 25 Jestha 2082 (June 7, 2025).
In chasing the American dream, he not only endured extreme hardship but also lost a total of Rs. 7.9 million. The Human Trafficking Bureau is now actively investigating the case, and police have begun searching for the individuals named in the youth’s complaint.
183 Nepalis Deported After Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Following his election as President of the United States, Donald Trump adopted a hardline stance against illegal immigration. As part of this policy, he launched a campaign to deport undocumented immigrants from the U.S.
Since Trump assumed office on January 20, a total of 183 Nepali nationals have been deported from the United States, according to data from Nepal’s Department of Immigration. Among them were 20 women and 163 men.
Most of the deportees are believed to have entered the U.S. through the “donkey route”—an illegal and perilous migration path involving multiple countries. According to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, these cases show a common pattern: individuals selling property or taking heavy loans, spending nearly Rs. 10 million in hopes of reaching America, only to be deported due to the stricter immigration policies under Trump’s administration.
Even before Donald Trump took office, Nepalis residing illegally in the United States were being deported.
From fiscal year 2075/76 (2018/19) to date, a total of 410 Nepali nationals have been deported from the U.S. The breakdown is as follows:
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2075/76: 45 individuals
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2076/77: 83 individuals
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2077/78: 30 individuals
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2078/79: 13 individuals
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2079/80: 7 individuals
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2080/81: 21 individuals
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2081/82: 206 individuals
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2082/83 (current fiscal year, so far): 4 individuals
In total, 410 Nepalis have been deported from the United States over this period.
Nepalis have also been deported from other countries in increasing numbers. Recently, 20 individuals (19 men and 1 woman) were deported from Panama. Additionally, 23 were deported from Myanmar, 9 from Cambodia, and 20 from Palau.
