By the fifth day inside the Darién jungle, Ramesh (name changed) and his Nepali companions were pushing their physical limits to the edge. They have been following the blue plastic wrapped around trees, which indicated their route ahead.
More than 200 migrants moved together through mud, rivers, and dense forest trails between northern Colombia and southern Panama. One member of their group could barely walk. His legs had given out, possibly due to uric acid complications or a severe sprain. But stopping was not an option. “If you want to survive, you have to keep your spirits up,” Ramesh recalled telling him. The group tied ropes around the man’s body and pulled him up the jungle slopes.
They survived on rationed bread and biscuits. They drank river water from bowls. At night, they slept near the largest groups to avoid animal attacks. For five straight days, there was complete radio silence. Their families had no idea whether they were alive.
Ramesh left Nepal in early 2023, hoping to reach the United States through the so-called “donkey route.” He spent a year moving through transit countries. He would later spend another 15 months inside American detention centres before eventually being deported back to Nepal.
As the United States tightens its deportation policies, Nepal has seen a sharp rise in the number of citizens being returned from America after attempting to enter or remain in the country illegally.
According to Sharad Raj Aran, chargé d’affaires at the Nepal Embassy in Washington, D.C., deportations from the US increased significantly in 2025 and 2026 compared to previous years. “In 2025, a total of 394 Nepali nationals were deported from the United States, while 438 have already been repatriated in 2026, as of the latest record. This shows a clear increase compared to previous years, when annual deportations typically remained below 200 individuals,” said Aran.
Ramesh’s journey began after he travelled from Nepal to Dubai, where he stayed for a month before flying to Baku, Azerbaijan, on a tourist visa. The arrangement had been made through a Nepali agent, whose details he had received from friends and relatives. They communicated via WhatsApp.
“The agent promised to get me into the USA within three to four months,” said Ramesh. The initial deal was set at Rs 6m, but later increased to nearly Rs 6.5m.
Asked whether his agent fully explained the risks and worst-case scenarios involved in the process, Ramesh laughed. “Why would the agent explain the dangers? The only thing he cares about is money. He doesn’t care whether we live or die,” he said.
After arriving at Baku Airport, the group connected to the free Wi-Fi and contacted their agents, who picked them up and took them to an apartment. They stayed there for nearly a month while the agents waited to see whether the Turkey route would open.
But problems at Turkish airports forced a change in plans, sending Ramesh back to Dubai for five to six months. “Dubai is the central transit hub and fallback location whenever planned routes fail,” he explained. The agents covered accommodation and food, but migrants had to pay for personal expenses themselves.
At one point, Ramesh and around 15 other migrants were flown to Gambia, where they narrowly avoided legal prosecution after officials discovered they lacked proper visas on arrival. The group hurriedly collected between $50 and $100 each to secure visas after landing.
After spending a month in Gambia, they moved through Senegal and Nigeria before eventually returning to Dubai after arrangements between agents fell apart. Exhausted by months of uncertainty, Ramesh insisted on returning to Nepal. But his agent persuaded him to continue, assuring him that everything had been arranged.
Ramesh, along with five others, was then transported to South America. After transiting through Israel and Portugal, they arrived in Brazil. “I tore up all my documents except my passport in the bathroom before surrendering to Brazilian authorities,” he explained. Doing so allowed him to apply for refugee status. After spending more than a week in a refugee camp, Brazilian authorities granted him a temporary one-year stay permit. It was all part of the plan. Almost immediately afterward, the agents resumed the northward journey. The route passed through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
Then came the infamous Darién Gap. For years, the dense jungle between Colombia and Panama has served as one of the world’s most dangerous migration corridors. The crossing is notorious for armed robbery, injury, dehydration, flash floods, extortion, and death. Yet nearly 500,000 people crossed the Darién in 2023, followed by around 300,000 in 2024.
“According to Nepali and American sources, including the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal and NepYork, this route—often passing through the Darién Gap—has seen a steep decline since mid-2025,” said Aran.
Ramesh said armed groups frequently stopped migrants throughout the journey across Central America, demanding money. Without agents accompanying them, he believes the group would have been kidnapped or robbed. He also claimed that police officers in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama routinely accepted bribes to let migrants continue travelling. “We hid our money carefully. If they found it, they would take everything,” he said.
At several points during the journey, Ramesh’s wife sent money through informal hundi networks to an agent in Dubai, who then arranged cash deliveries along the route. Eventually, the group reached Mexico, where they stayed for about a week in temporary camps near the border before smugglers organized small groups to cross into the United States.
American police vans were already waiting. “They checked us thoroughly. Then they took our fingerprints and photographs,” Ramesh recalled.
A central misconception among many Nepali migrants is that simply reaching US territory guarantees the right to stay or seek asylum. “In reality,” said Aram, “asylum processes in the United States are highly complex, time-consuming, and increasingly stringent.”
Several Nepalis fighting deportation cases were denied asylum after judges concluded that Nepal no longer faced the kind of political instability necessary to justify protection claims.
Ramesh was first detained in Arizona while awaiting an interview. Before that could happen, however, he was transferred to a private detention facility in Louisiana, where he remained for more than a year. He described the detention system as deeply commercialized. “These detention centres get $250 per refugee every day they keep people in jail. It felt like a business,” he said.
When Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, Ramesh said many detainees believed their chances of remaining in America had significantly worsened.
“One of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents told me it was highly unlikely I would win the case, and that it would be better to accept voluntary deportation,” he said. “I realized continuing the fight was pointless. I would only end up receiving bans from more countries.”
Ramesh decided to take voluntary deportation. The process took a few months as the US authorities had to coordinate with the Nepali embassy to verify his identity and issue travel documents.
Unlike some deportees transported on chartered flights, Ramesh was flown back on a commercial Turkish Airlines flight. Two ICE officers escorted him to the airport. While waiting for departure, one officer asked how much money he had spent trying to reach America.
“When I told him around $50,000, he was shocked,” Ramesh recalled. “He said, ‘That’s a huge amount. Some of us here don’t even have that kind of money. Why would you spend so much just to come here?’”
That question stayed with him. “I remember feeling anxious at every stage,” Ramesh said. “In Dubai, we worried about where we would go next. In Brazil, we worried about what would happen next. The fear never stopped.”
Today, Ramesh describes the ordeal as a harsh life experience and sometimes jokes that it was like a sightseeing tour through 18 countries. But he strongly discourages others from attempting the same route.
“Experiencing something is very different from just hearing about it,” he said. “Whenever people ask me about this process, I tell them not to do it. But in the end, it depends on the person. Some of my friends still went even after I warned them.”
Aran also had a message for Nepalis considering such journeys: “Nepali citizens should refrain from using irregular or undocumented routes to reach the United States. These routes are unsafe, exploitative, and often end in detention or deportation.”
‘The aspiration to migrate to US is driven by a combination of economic, educational, and social factors’
Sharad Raj Aran, chargé d’affaires, Nepali embassy in America
How closely are Nepal and the United States currently coordinating on immigration related matters?
The Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C., maintains a consistent line of communication with the US Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure that cases involving Nepali nationals are handled in accordance with both nations’ laws and humanitarian standards. In the current fiscal year, four coordinated return flights have already taken place, safely repatriating nearly 600 Nepali nationals.
Has the US Embassy observed any recent increase or decrease in illegal migration attempts by Nepalis?
Since March 2026, no recorded cases have involved entry or attempted entry through the US–Mexico border, showing a significant improvement from prior years when the route was more frequently used by irregular migrants.
What are the primary reasons, in your view, that drive many Nepalis to pursue migration to the US?
The aspiration to migrate to the United States is driven by a combination of economic, educational, and social factors. Many young Nepalis view the US as a land of opportunity, offering world-class universities, better employment prospects, and stable social systems that promise long-term security for families.
What happens procedurally when a Nepali national is detained from the United States?
When a Nepali national is detained by US immigration authorities, the detention facility or ICE office notifies the Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C. The Embassy then verifies the person’s identity through official records and Nepali agencies and issues a one-time travel document to facilitate lawful repatriation. The Embassy’s role is to ensure due process and humane treatment throughout this procedure.
Do you expect US immigration policies concerning undocumented migrants to change in any significant way?
The current administration’s emphasis on enhanced border security, fast-tracked immigration court proceedings, and “America First” economic priorities indicates tighter screening and reduced tolerance for undocumented entry or visa overstays. The Embassy of Nepal will continue to work constructively with US authorities to ensure that humanitarian considerations are upheld while reinforcing the shared commitment to lawful, safe, and orderly migration.
