More than two dozen refugees from Bhutan have been left in a unique legal limbo after they were deported by the US back to the tiny Himalayan nation they once fled C only for it to reject them a second time.
The refugees are Lhotshampa, a Nepali-speaking ethnic minority who were expelled from Bhutan in the 1990s. After decades in refugee camps in eastern Nepal, more than 100,000 of them were legally resettled in the US, Australia, Canada and other countries under a UN-led program that began in 2007.
Until very recently, the US had not deported a single person to Bhutan in years, according to data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), because the Bhutanese government was unwilling to repatriate its refugees, who were stripped of their citizenship when they fled.
But since March, more than two dozen Lhotshampa have been deported from the US back to Bhutan C though the country is still refusing to take them in, according to several deportees, advocates and the Nepali government. Many have ended up back in the same Nepal refugee camps where as children they dreamed of a better life abroad.
Ramesh Sanyasi, 24, was born in a refugee camp and migrated to the US when he was 10 years old with his parents and older sister. Sanyasi was living in Pennsylvania, a hub for refugees from Bhutan, and working in an Amazon warehouse until last year, when he said he was arrested while borrowing his friends car during a night out.
Sanyasi was convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and handing false ID to law enforcement, court records show. In April of this year, after spending eight months in jail, Sanyasi said he was put on a one-way flight to New Delhi, India, then to Paro, Bhutan.
When he arrived in Bhutan, he said, local authorities took him and two other refugees to the border with India, where they paid someone to take the men to Panitanki, a town on the India-Nepal border, giving the deportees 30,000 Indian rupees (about $350) each.
Sanyasi said he and the other deportees paid someone to smuggle them across the Mechi River into Nepal.
Life here is tough. Im living without any identification documents, which makes everything challenging. I cant even withdraw money sent by relatives because I lack proper ID, Sanyasi told CNN in an interview from Beldangi refugee camp, where he is now staying.
My days are spent idly, with no clear purpose or direction, Sanyasi said. For now, Im surviving on money sent from the US, but once that runs out, I dont know what will happen. His sister, mother and father all remain in the US.
Sanyasi and the other deportees were not undocumented and came to the US legally. Most C if not all C have been convicted of crimes of varying severity, though many served their full sentences before being deported. Under US law, non-citizens can lose their visas if convicted of certain crimes.
They now find themselves in an extraordinary diplomatic gray zone, with no documentation for either the US, Bhutan or Nepal, where many are currently residing.
Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, Nepal-based president of the International Institute for Human Rights, Environment and Development, estimates 30 people have been deported by the US to Bhutan so far, while at least two dozen more are in detention facilities awaiting deportation.
All the refugees deported to Bhutan were expelled to India once they arrived, Siwakoti said. Most of them made their way to Nepal, though some are still in India. Many are in hiding, he said.
Four of the US deportees have now been ordered deported by a second country, after they were arrested and briefly detained by the Nepali government for crossing the border illegally. However, Tikaram Dhakal, the director of Nepals Department of Immigration, told CNN it has nowhere to deport these people.
We are in a dilemma: the US is unlikely to accept them back, and deporting them to Bhutan is not straightforward either.
Nowhere to go
Bhutan, a small Buddhist kingdom of roughly 800,000 nestled between India and Tibet in the Himalayas, is often revered for its sustainable approach to tourism and national happiness index, but it has a dark history of crackdowns on ethnic minorities.
In the late 1970s, the government of Bhutan began cracking down on ethnic Nepalis who had migrated to southern Bhutan in the 19th century, introducing a series of discriminatory policies designed to exclude Lhotshampa.
From 1989, the government pushed the Bhutanization of the country by enforcing a dress code and banning the Nepali language, aggressively clamping down on anyone who resisted. Faced with abuse, threats and coercion, the Lhotshampa fled.
It has long been a bedrock of US and international law not to send someone to a country where they could face persecution. But the administration of US President Donald Trump has increasingly deported people to states with grave human rights records , such as Libya and South Sudan.
Siwakoti said it was a mistake on the part of the US government to deport the Lhotshampa back to Bhutan, because these people dont have a country.
These peoples belonging, their existence, their ownership of the country, was completely written off C formally, legally C by the Royal Government of Bhutan, Siwakoti said. They became completely stateless.
Bhutan has refused to receive Lhotshampa refugees. But during Trumps presidency, countries that have historically accepted few C if any C deportees from the US are now opening their doors, under pressure of sanctions and tariffs.
Bhutan was initially included in a draft red list prepared by US diplomatic and security officials of 11 countries whose citizens would be barred from entering the US, which was published in March by The New York Times.
But when the final list of 19 countries targeted for full or partial travel bans was released in June, Bhutan was not included.
The first deportation flight from the US to Bhutan was at the end of March.
Siwakoti said he believes Bhutan accepted the deportees to appease the US, but never intended to let them stay.
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions from CNN.
A US State Department spokesperson said it would not discuss its diplomatic communications with other governments.
Foreign governments will make decisions regarding the immigration status of aliens removed from the United States in accordance with their respective domestic laws and international obligations, the spokesperson said.
CNN was unable to reach Bhutans Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment. The Consulate of Bhutan in New York did not respond to an email request from CNN.
Dhakal, the Nepali government official, said Nepal cannot accept the refugees and is currently in discussions with the US government to come up with a solution.
Family separation is not a solution
The Beldangi camp looks different from when Ashish Subedi last lived here a decade ago. There is electricity; his fathers bamboo hut is now fortified with metal; and running water comes from a tap, rather than a well. Dogs, cows and chickens roam the dusty roads.
Subedi never imagined he would be back here, in the same place where he and his family took refuge years ago. Subedi was convicted of a felony sexual offense in Ohio in 2022, according to court records, and served his two-year sentence before he was deported back to Bhutan in March.
He is among the deportees who were arrested by Nepali authorities, though they were eventually released from detention after Subedis father filed a habeas corpus petition with Nepals Supreme Court.
Without travel documents, it is unlikely he and the others will be expelled from Nepal anytime soon. In the meantime, the government is not permitting them to leave the refugee camps.
We are living in darkness, with no clear path forward, Subedi told CNN. The lack of documentation and restricted movement make it nearly impossible to rebuild our lives. We feel trapped, with limited options and a constant sense of insecurity.
Subedi said he hopes to return to the US, where his wife and 3-year-old daughter still live.
Being sent back to Bhutan is not an option for us C it would likely mean imprisonment, he said.
Back in the US, the recent deportations have sent shock waves through communities of Bhutanese refugees.
Tilak Niroula, a refugee and community leader in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said Bhutanese refugees have embraced life in the US and laid down roots there.
Since we were forcefully evicted from Bhutan, and we do not have a country to call home, we call this country, the US, our home, he said.
Niroula said he and other advocates want anyone who commits a crime to face justice C but insists deportation isnt the answer.
If somebody got involved in any kind of criminal activities, we do have a due process, he said.
Family separation is not a solution.
二十多名不丹难民在被美国遣返回他们曾经逃离的喜马拉雅小国后，陷入了一种特殊的法律困境——该国再次拒绝接纳他们。
这些难民属于洛昌族（Lhotshampa），是一个讲尼泊尔语的少数民族，他们在20世纪90年代被不丹驱逐出境。在尼泊尔东部的难民营中生活数十年后，自2007年起，超过10万洛昌族人在联合国主导的计划下，被合法安置到美国、澳大利亚、加拿大等国家。
根据美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）的数据，直到最近几年，美国未曾将任何人遣返至不丹，原因在于不丹政府拒绝接收这些难民——他们在逃离时已被剥夺公民身份。
但自三月以来，已有超过二十名洛昌人（Lhotshampa）被美国驱逐回不丹——尽管据多名被驱逐者、维权人士及尼泊尔政府称，不丹仍拒绝接收他们。许多人最终又回到了尼泊尔的难民营，那里正是他们童年时梦想前往海外追求更好生活的地方。
24岁的拉梅什·桑亚西出生于难民营，10岁时随父母和姐姐移民美国。桑亚西曾居住在宾夕法尼亚州——不丹难民的主要聚居地，并在亚马逊仓库工作直至去年。据他所述，他在某晚外出借用朋友汽车时被捕。
法庭记录显示，桑雅西因未经授权使用机动车辆及向执法部门提供虚假身份证件而被定罪。今年四月，他在监狱服刑八个月后，称自己被安排搭乘单程航班飞往印度新德里，随后转赴不丹帕罗。
据他所述，抵达不丹后，当地政府将他与另外两名难民带至印度边境，并支付费用让人将他们送往印尼边境小镇帕尼坦基，同时向每位被驱逐者发放了3万印度卢比（约合350美元）。
萨尼亚西表示，他和其他被驱逐者花钱雇人偷渡梅奇河进入尼泊尔。
桑雅西（Sanyasi）在贝尔丹吉难民营接受CNN采访时表示："这里的生活很艰难。我没有身份证件，这让一切都变得困难重重。由于缺乏有效身份证明，我甚至无法提取亲戚寄来的钱。"他目前暂居于此地。
萨尼亚西说：'我整日无所事事，既没有明确的目标，也没有方向。目前我靠从美国寄来的钱维持生活，但一旦钱用完了，我不知道会发生什么。'他的姐姐、母亲和父亲都还在美国。
萨尼亚西与其他被驱逐者并非无证移民，而是合法入境美国。其中大多数人——即便不是全部——都曾因严重程度不等的罪行被定罪，不过许多人在被驱逐前已服完全部刑期。根据美国法律，非公民若犯有特定罪行，其签证可能被撤销。
他们如今置身于一个异常微妙的外交灰色地带——既没有美国、不丹或尼泊尔的合法居留文件，而许多人目前正滞留于上述国家。
国际人权、环境与发展学院（总部位于尼泊尔）的院长戈帕尔·克里希纳·西瓦科蒂估计，截至目前已有30人被美国驱逐至不丹，另有至少24人仍被拘留在设施中等待遣返。
西瓦科蒂表示，所有被驱逐到不丹的难民一经抵达就遭到遣返，被迫前往印度。其中大部分人辗转进入尼泊尔，但仍有部分滞留印度。他还透露，目前许多人处于隐匿状态。
四名被美国驱逐出境的人员因非法越境被尼泊尔政府逮捕并短暂拘留后，现已被第二国下令驱逐。然而，尼泊尔移民局局长蒂卡兰·达卡尔（Tikaram Dhakal）向CNN表示，该国无处可遣返这些人。
我们陷入两难困境：美国不太可能重新接收他们，而将他们遣返至不丹也并非易事。
无处可去
不丹是一个约有80万人口的佛教小国，坐落在喜马拉雅山脉间的印度和西藏之间。该国因其可持续的旅游业发展方式和国民幸福指数而备受推崇，但也存在镇压少数民族的黑暗历史。
20世纪70年代末，不丹政府开始对19世纪迁居至该国南部的尼泊尔族裔进行打压，出台了一系列旨在排斥洛昌巴人的歧视性政策。
自1989年起，不丹政府通过强制推行着装规范、禁用尼泊尔语等手段，强力推进国家的“不丹化”进程，并对反抗者实施严厉镇压。在遭受虐待、威胁和压迫的情况下，洛昌人被迫逃离家园。
长期以来，不将任何人遣返至可能面临迫害的国家，一直是美国和国际法的基本原则。然而，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普领导的政府却越来越多地将人员驱逐至人权记录恶劣的国家，例如利比亚和南苏丹。
西瓦科蒂表示，美国政府将洛昌人驱逐回不丹是一个“错误”，“因为这些人是无国籍者”。
西瓦科蒂表示："这些人的归属、存在以及对国家的所有权，被不丹王国政府从形式和法律上彻底抹除了。他们完全沦为无国籍者。"
不丹拒绝接收洛昌巴难民。但在特朗普执政期间，那些历史上几乎从未接收过美国遣返人员的国家，如今在制裁和关税的压力下，正敞开大门。
不丹最初被列入美国外交和安全官员拟定的11国「红色名单」草案，这些国家的公民将被禁止入境美国。该名单于3月由《纽约时报》披露。
但当6月最终公布的19个全面或部分旅行禁令目标国名单出炉时，不丹并未被列入其中。
美国飞往不丹的首趟遣返航班于三月底启程。
西瓦科蒂表示，他认为不丹接受这些被驱逐者是为了安抚美国，但从未打算让他们留下。
美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）和国土安全部均未回应美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）的质询。
美国国务院发言人表示，不会讨论与其他政府的外交沟通内容。
发言人表示，外国政府将根据各自国内法律和国际义务，对从美国遣返的外籍人士的移民身份作出决定。
美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）未能联系到不丹外交部置评。不丹驻纽约领事馆也未回应CNN的邮件问询。
尼泊尔政府官员达卡尔表示，尼泊尔无法接收这些难民，目前正与美国政府商讨解决方案。
骨肉分离绝非解决之道
贝尔丹吉难民营与阿希什·苏贝迪十年前居住时已大不相同。如今这里通了电，他父亲的竹屋用金属材料加固了，自来水也从水龙头流出，而非取自水井。狗、牛和鸡在尘土飞扬的道路上四处游荡。
苏贝迪从未想过自己会重返此地——这个多年前他与家人曾避难的地方。根据法庭记录，苏贝迪于2022年在俄亥俄州被判犯有性侵重罪，服完两年刑期后，于今年三月被驱逐回不丹。
他是被尼泊尔当局逮捕的驱逐者之一，不过在苏贝迪（Subedi）的父亲向尼泊尔最高法院提交人身保护令申请后，他们最终获释。
由于缺乏旅行证件，他和其余人员短期内不太可能被尼泊尔驱逐出境。与此同时，政府也不允许他们离开难民营。
苏贝迪告诉美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）："我们生活在黑暗中，看不到明确的前进道路。缺乏身份证明和行动受限让我们几乎无法重建生活。我们感到被困住了，选择有限且始终缺乏安全感。"
苏贝迪表示，他希望返回美国与妻女团聚，其妻子和三岁的女儿目前仍在美国生活。
“返回不丹对我们来说不是可选项——那很可能意味着牢狱之灾。”他说道。
在美国，最近的驱逐行动在不丹难民社区中引发了强烈震动。
宾夕法尼亚州哈里斯堡的难民及社区领袖蒂拉克·尼鲁拉（Tilak Niroula）表示，不丹难民已在美国开启新生活并扎根于此。
他说道：“自从我们被不丹强行驱逐出境，失去了可以称之为祖国的国度后，我们便将美国视作自己的家园。”
尼鲁拉表示，他和其他倡导者希望任何犯罪者都能受到法律制裁，但坚称驱逐出境并非解决之道。
他表示：“如果某人涉嫌参与任何犯罪活动，我们确实会遵循正当法律程序。”
“骨肉分离绝非解决之道。”
