We Belong Here
Across the United States, immigration and law enforcement continue to target, detain, and deport members of our communities at a horrific scope and scale, often without due process. For HMoob and Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees, and increasing numbers of immigrants and refugees removed to countries they have never known, these government-led disappearances carry an especially cruel dimension.
Since early 2025, dozens of loved ones have been deported into statelessness, danger, and persecution. Both Hmong and Nepali-speaking Bhutanese Americans come from refugee communities shaped by state violence, forced exile, and displacement. Without a geographic homeland to return to, and with no end in sight to inhumane U.S. prison conditions, the criminalization of these communities can mean a life sentence without safety, rights, or belonging.
We Belong Here is a constantly evolving coalition of Asian Americans for Civil Rights & Equality, Asian Refugees United, Asian Law Caucus, Hmong Family Association Lansing, Hmong Innovating Politics, OPAWL, Rising Voices, and Stop AAPI Hate.
This video is an excerpt from Asian Refugees United’s Youth Summit performance in Halifax, Pennsylvania. It tells the story of Mohan Karki, a Nepali-speaking Bhutanese American who was detained and forced to leave behind his wife and newborn daughter. Through movement and storytelling, the performance moves through heartbreak, grief, fear, and the deep injustice at the center of Mohan’s story, while also uplifting the resilience of those fighting for his return home. Learn more about the fight to Free Mohan below.
Free Mohan Karki
In January 2026, after more than nine months in detention and sustained efforts by his wife, attorneys, and community members to stop his removal, Mohan Karki — a Nepali-speaking Bhutanese American, community member, and new father — was deported to Bhutan. He has not yet held his newborn daughter.
Karki’s deportation is part of a broader pattern affecting more than 70 Bhutanese Americans who have been detained or removed by U.S. immigration authorities.
Although he had legally resettled in the United States, Karki remains stateless due to long-standing geopolitical disputes between Bhutan and Nepal, which have left many Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees without recognized citizenship in either country.
💻 Visit BhutaneseRefugeeRights.com to learn more about the issues facing Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees.
Learn more about Mohan and Tika’s story here.
Donate to Mohan’s Legal Defense Fund.
🎨 Columbus-based illustrator and OPAWL member Erin Siao has created a beautiful Art Fundraiser to help raise more funds for Mohan Karki’s release campaign! Learn more here.
#BringLueHome
After almost six months in ICE detention, Hmong community leader Lue Yang of Michigan was released in December 2025, following months of coordinated community organizing and legal advocacy to bring him home with his family and community.
