9 Nepalis deported from US within a year

KATHMANDU: Nine Nepalis who spent between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore to reach the United States have been deported and returned home on Wednesday.

Falling prey to human traffickers, they had traveled through up to 14 countries before entering the US illegally.

According to Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, chief of the Immigration Office, one woman and seven men were among those deported. One woman arrived in Kathmandu on a US-chartered flight, while another woman flew in on a Qatar Airways regular flight.

According to Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Gyanendra Bhul, a Gulfstream chartered aircraft of Griffon Air, which took off from Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire, landed at Tribhuvan International Airport at 9:53 AM on Wednesday.

All nine deportees were handed over to their families after interrogation and counseling by the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

“We questioned them to determine whether they were victims of human trafficking or fraud. However, they claimed to have traveled voluntarily and refused to file complaints against anyone,” said Superintendent of Police Narendra Kunwar, the bureau’s information officer. “They mentioned that they had to return due to Donald Trump becoming the US president.”

The deported individuals include three from Dang, two each from Rukum East and Rukum West, and one each from Doti and Rolpa.

Kunwar stated that they had taken extensive routes to reach the US. One individual traveled directly from Nepal, while others first went to India and then Dubai.

From there, they reached Brazil via various African or European countries. They then crossed half a dozen nations before arriving in Mexico and finally entering the US through land and air routes.

They had been in the US for five to nine months, with some having left Nepal as recently as Dec 21, 2023.

Authorities suspect that the agents who facilitated their travel have promised to send them to other countries or given them other assurances, which could explain why they did not press charges. “We will keep in touch with them,” said a bureau officer.

According to Immigration Chief Bhattarai, the US has deported 36 Nepalis since Jan 21. “Another Nepali is expected to arrive via Delhi on Wednesday night,” he added.

As per Nepal’s Human Trafficking and Transportation Control Act, 2007, transporting individuals abroad for exploitation through deception, fraud, coercion, or by luring their guardians or protectors is considered human trafficking.

Immigration authorities stated that individuals with incomplete visa documentation are deported from various countries daily.

The Nepalese embassies in respective countries issue “travel documents” for deportees, which are then processed at the immigration office.

Upon arrival, deportees must complete additional forms, provide family details, and submit fingerprint records before being handed over to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau for further investigation.

The same procedure was followed for the nine individuals deported from the US on Wednesday.