Bishwa Chhetri, center, and Narad Adhikari, left, members of the Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee community in Central Pennsylvania, describe to reporters how he and 100,000 others were driven out of their country in the 1980s and 1990s. (Jordan Wilkie - WITF)
Bishwa Chhetri, center, and Narad Adhikari, left, members of the Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee community in Central Pennsylvania, describe to reporters how he and 100,000 others were driven out of their country in the 1980s and 1990s. (Jordan Wilkie - WITF)
Aired; April 17th, 2025.
In a special episode of The Spark, WITF democracy reporter Jordan Wilkie dives deep into the far-reaching consequences of U.S. immigration policy—tracing a path from Central Pennsylvania all the way to the mountains of Nepal.
As the episode unfolds, listeners learn how a policy shift during the Trump administration is reshaping lives across continents, particularly for members of Pennsylvania’s Nepali-speaking Bhutanese community. Once welcomed to the U.S. as refugees, some are now being deported—and their return to Nepal is stirring diplomatic tensions and human rights concerns.
In the final segment, Wilkie speaks with a Nepal-based human rights advocate who outlines what happens to these former refugees when they are deported back to a place many barely know. Stripped of legal protections, these individuals often face uncertain futures and a lack of basic support systems, all while their stories become central to a growing diplomatic conflict between the United States and Nepal.
During this compelling report , you’ll hear how a policy decision made in Washington is impacting lives in Central Pennsylvania—and reverberating across the globe.
Listen to the podcast to hear the special episode.
