ICE Deported Them. Their Home Country Rejected Them.

They survived ethnic cleansing in Bhutan, decades living in remote camps in Nepal, and the grueling process of starting over in the United States – only to be deported. And it gets worse. Bhutan never wanted them – which was why they became refugees in the first place. Once they were forced back to Bhutan, they were unceremoniously shoved over the border into India, with no documentation or legal status. A year later, they are still living in limbo. Some have made it back to Nepal, to live in the same refugee camps they left 20 years ago. Others are in hiding, facing constant fear of arrest because they were forced into undocumented status in India the moment Bhutan pushed them over the border. This is the story of how an already traumatized people became stateless twice in one lifetime – with no country willing to accept them. Many thanks to Nishchal Aawaz for his reporting and research, including interview sourcing, fact-checking, and original visual documentation used in this project. For more Indo-Pacific analysis, subscribe to The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/ Use code DIPASIA10 at checkout to get 10% off. SCRIPT: Shannon Tiezzi & Nishchal Aawaz VOICEOVER: Catherine Putz VIDEO EDITING: Aylin Aly 00:00 intro 02:27 from Bhutan to America 05:49 deported by ICE - and Bhutan 12:23 Living in limbo 15:23 Families left behind Music licensed via Shutterstock: PG5CUDKD1CKVFIUL 7DKL52CIMWBEUYWO YASFQ8ZRVGRKZWZ4