Bhutanese Refugee Faces Deportation to Bhutan
Mohan Karki, a 30-year-old individual, is currently held in immigration custody in Michigan and faces deportation to Bhutan. His removal proceedings stem from felony charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, and interference with government property, all related to an incident that occurred during his teenage years.
Karki was born in a refugee camp in Nepal, as his family, of Nepali ancestry, was displaced from Bhutan in the 1990s. His legal representation challenges the federal government's assertion that Karki is a citizen of Bhutan, citing the absence of a passport or birth certificate from the country. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential for Karki to become stateless if deported to Bhutan.
Legal Developments and Family Impact
On a recent Wednesday, Karki's wife, Tika Basnet, was present in court with their 5-month-old daughter. A federal judge in Michigan rejected Karki's petition for release from detention on Monday, thereby allowing his deportation to proceed.
Karki arrived in the U.S. in 2011 as part of an international initiative, led by the U.S., to resettle Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees. In 2013, at age 17, he was arrested in Georgia. His current attorneys state he pleaded guilty without full knowledge that a felony conviction could jeopardize his green card status and lead to removal proceedings.
After serving a sentence between 2013 and 2014, Karki was placed in ICE detention. He was subsequently released months later under an order of supervision, with ICE documents indicating neither Bhutan nor Nepal was willing to accept him at that time. In April, during a routine check-in with ICE in Ohio, Karki was taken into custody. Basnet was eight months pregnant at the time of his re-detention and subsequently gave birth to their daughter while he was in custody.
Broader Context of Bhutanese Refugee Deportations
The Asian Law Caucus, a national advocacy and legal aid organization, has reported an increase in deportations of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees from the U.S. to Bhutan since the Trump administration. The organization states that, for years prior, Bhutan had not accepted these individuals facing U.S. deportation.
The Asian Law Caucus filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, the State Department, and other federal agencies. This action seeks answers regarding the policy change and the deportations, following what the group describes as limited or no responses to Freedom of Information requests.
Reports indicate instances where Bhutanese authorities have denied entry to deportees, leading some to become stranded in South Asia. In Nepal, deportees face a lack of citizenship pathways, with the Nepali government ruling that they cannot reside in the country and must pay fines until their departure.
This situation has generated concern within the Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee community in the U.S. Karki's wife is attempting to locate family members in South Asia who could assist him post-deportation, noting that all their relatives have resettled in the U.S.