At least two more Pennsylvania residents have been deported to Bhutan. That brings the total to eight Bhutanese refugees from Pennsylvania and 20 from across the country who have been deported back to Bhutan, according to leaders from those communities who have been tracking cases. 

In early March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began arresting members of the Bhutanese refugee community in Central Pennsylvania. The first deportation flight came on March 26, less than three weeks after the initial arrests, with the next flights on March 28 and April 10.

On this special episode of The Spark, Democracy Reporter Jordan Wilkie spoke with Bhutanese refugee community leaders Narad Adhikari in Pennsylvania and Sudarshan Pyakurel in Ohio, Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, veteran immigration attorney and former Department of Homeland Security appointee Kerry Doyle, Nepal-based human rights activist Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, and Craig Shagin, a lawyer for one of the recently deported men.

 

If you want to read the full story, check out Jordan's article here.

At least two more Pennsylvania residents have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.witf.org/2025/04/02/dauphin-commissioner-calls-for-ice-to-pause-deportations-of-bhutanese-refugees/">deported to Bhutan</a>. That brings the total to eight Bhutanese refugees from Pennsylvania and 20 from across the country who have been deported back to Bhutan, according to leaders from those communities who have been tracking cases.&nbsp;
In early March, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began arresting members of the Bhutanese refugee community in Central Pennsylvania. The first deportation flight&nbsp;<a href="https://www.witf.org/2025/03/27/kicked-out-decades-ago-4-refugees-deported-en-route-to-bhutan/">came on March 26</a>, less than three weeks after the initial arrests, with the next flights on March 28 and April 10.
On this special episode of The Spark, Democracy Reporter Jordan Wilkie spoke with Bhutanese refugee community leaders Narad Adhikari in Pennsylvania and Sudarshan Pyakurel in Ohio, Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, veteran immigration attorney and former Department of Homeland Security appointee Kerry Doyle, Nepal-based human rights activist Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, and Craig Shagin, a lawyer for one of the recently deported men.
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If you want to read the full story, check out Jordan's article <a href="https://www.witf.org/2025/04/16/two-more-former-refugees-deported-to-bhutan-to-be-made-stateless/">here.</a>

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb starts conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, host Asia Tabb start the conversations about what&rsquo;s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at&nbsp;<a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

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