Reports of deportations have emerged gradually. One Bhutanese individual was detained in Texas, another in Idaho, followed by one more in Georgia.
“We began receiving urgent calls warning us that ICE arrests had started,” explained Robin Gurung, a community leader in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a key hub for Bhutanese refugees in the United States.
Due to scarce details from immigration authorities and a cultural hesitation among Bhutanese families to openly discuss the disappearance of their relatives, Mr. Gurung could only approximate the number of detainees and deportees within his local community and across the state.
“At least a dozen from this area,” he stated during an interview at a dumpling restaurant near the Pennsylvania State Capitol. He paused to stress the uncertainty before adding, “that’s the number we are aware of.”
As the U.S. government intensified its deportation efforts—mainly targeting undocumented immigrants from Latin America—Bhutanese refugees face their own opaque challenges. Originating from a small nation bordering India and Nepal, this community experiences a similar atmosphere of confusion and distress amid the crackdown.
