KATHMANDU: A total of 37 Nepali nationals deported from the United States are scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on Wednesday via a chartered flight, marking the third such deportation this year.
Ram Chandra Tiwari, Director General of the Department of Immigration, confirmed that official communication has been received regarding the repatriation of the deportees on a special flight.
Although the Immigration Department has not released detailed personal information, it is known that the deportees come from 28 different districts across Nepal.
According to the Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport, 215 Nepalis have been deported from the US between January and August 2025.
During former President Donald Trump’s second term, undocumented immigrants were initially requested to leave voluntarily. Those who failed to comply have been subject to forcible deportation.
Earlier this year, in March, eight Nepalis (seven men and one woman) were deported via a chartered flight. On June 6, another 37 Nepalis (32 men and five women) were sent back on an Omni Air International flight.
The flight arriving on Wednesday will be the third chartered deportation this year, in addition to 170 Nepalis who have returned via regular commercial flights.
Monthly data from the Tribhuvan International Airport Immigration Office shows 6 deportations in January, 18 in February, 32 in March, 26 in April, 58 in May, 42 in June, 17 in July, and 16 in August. Of the 215 deportees, 197 are men and 18 are women.
Since President Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025, the US administration has intensified efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, including Nepalis. Under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) campaign, more than 1.44 million individuals from various countries have been placed on deportation lists.
The largest numbers of undocumented immigrants are from Mexico, El Salvador, India, Guatemala, Honduras, and Venezuela.
According to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police, most of the deported Nepalis had entered the US illegally after paying large sums of money to organized human trafficking networks operating through Asia, Europe, and Africa. Some had initially traveled through legal channels but later overstayed or violated visa conditions.
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