(KATHMANDU, NEPAL) A chartered deportation flight carrying 35 Nepali nationals from the United States landed in Kathmandu on November 20, 2025, marking one of the largest single groups of Nepalis sent back from America this year. The plane, arranged by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arrived in the early hours at Tribhuvan International Airport, where police and immigration officials quietly escorted the returnees through a separate exit.
Authorities said the removals were part of ongoing efforts by the United States to enforce immigration rules against people who entered the country without permission or who breached the terms of their visas.
Who was on the flight
Officials in Kathmandu said the group included people with different immigration histories and reasons for removal.
- Total returned: 35 Nepali nationals
- Irregular entrants: 33 had entered the United States via irregular routes, often transiting several Asian, African, and South American countries before reaching the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Visa status cases (3 individuals):
- A man who travelled on a student visa but was deported after failing to keep college enrollment active and then working in breach of his status.
- A person who entered on a visitor visa but was removed for taking up employment, which is not allowed for tourists.
- The remaining 33 had no legal right to stay in the U.S. at any time.
| Category | Number |
|---|---|
| Total deported on charter flight | 35 |
| Irregular-route migrants | 33 |
| Student-visa case | 1 |
| Visitor-visa-turned-worker case | 1 |
Routes, costs and detention
Officials reported that many of the 33 irregular entrants had paid human traffickers as much as Rs 8 million each for the journey, taking on large debts in the hope of finding work in the U.S. Instead:
- Many were detained by U.S. authorities and, in some cases, spent months in immigration detention centres.
- Several had lived in the U.S. for up to two years before removal.
- U.S. agents coordinated with Nepali authorities weeks in advance, sharing names and travel documents before the flight.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, chartered flights are often used when several people from the same country receive final deportation orders around the same time.
VisaVerge.com reports that international students across the United States faced tighter checks on enrollment and work records in 2025, and some who challenged visa cancellations in court still ended up on deportation flights after judges ruled against them.
Investigation by Nepali authorities
On arrival, the group was handed over to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police. Officers began questioning the deportees to gather information about smuggling networks and the agents who persuaded migrants to leave.
Police aims and focus:
– Trace smuggling routes across Asia, Africa, and South America.
– Identify payment patterns, contacts, and transit countries used by traffickers.
– Investigate local agents in Nepal who recruited migrants.
Most returnees came from Rukum and Dang districts, areas identified as having a sharp rise in irregular migration to the U.S.
Local impact and community response
The returnees carry heavy debts, and many families financed the journeys by borrowing money or selling land. The local social and economic effects include:
- Reluctance by many deportees to file formal complaints against traffickers or local agents.
- Deportees fearing social stigma — several asked reporters not to publish their names.
- Families facing pressure from loan sharks and social embarrassment in home villages.
- News spread quickly in Rukum and Dang via phone calls and social media, prompting some families to think twice about irregular migration — but economic pressures remain strong.
Community members report that relatives who left months ago have sometimes gone silent, raising fears they may be stuck in detention or stranded in transit countries without money or legal help.
Policy context and legal concerns
The charter flight forms part of a broader U.S. push to remove undocumented migrants and visa violators, a policy trajectory that began under President Trump and continued under President Biden.
Key policy notes:
– Nepali officials say since January 2025, more than 200 Nepali citizens have been deported from the U.S. on various flights.
– Some deportees had received final removal orders after losing legal appeals.
– Some had been living under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — a relief that ended for Nepal on August 5, 2025, making long-term residents vulnerable to arrest and deportation.
Rights groups in Nepal warn that many migrants have limited access to legal advice while in U.S. custody and may not fully grasp the long-term consequences of signing removal papers or missing court hearings before being sent home.
Immigration lawyers say the November charter fits a longer pattern of tougher interior enforcement that began with expanded arrests under President Trump and had not fully eased by 2025 under President Biden. While Washington’s rhetoric has shifted, the mechanisms of detention and deportation continue to operate.
The arrival of the charter on November 20, 2025 sends a clear message: U.S. authorities are acting quickly when people enter irregularly or breach visa rules. Long stays in the country do not necessarily shield individuals once a deportation order is issued.
Takeaway
For many young people in Nepal, the United States still represents a dream. The return of 35 Nepali nationals on a single day, however, is a stark reminder of the risks involved — financial, legal, and social.
Families and communities are watching closely, balancing hope for better opportunities abroad against the real dangers of irregular migration, mounting debts, and the possibility of forced return.
On November 20, 2025, an ICE-chartered plane returned 35 Nepali nationals to Kathmandu; 33 had entered the U.S. via irregular routes, often after paying traffickers up to Rs 8 million and spending months detained or living in the U.S. Authorities, including Nepal’s Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, are questioning returnees to trace smuggling networks. The deportation comes amid over 200 removals since January 2025 and follows the end of TPS for Nepal on August 5, 2025.
