In early March 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained six Bhutanese refugees residing in central Pennsylvania—five from the Harrisburg area and one from Cumberland County. These individuals, all legal permanent residents with green cards, were apprehended without clear explanations provided to their families.
Community leaders and local officials have expressed deep concern over these actions. Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas emphasized that these men are integral members of the community, stating, “They work here, they pay taxes here, they raise their kids here. They are part of the fabric of this region.”
Some of the detainees have prior criminal records, including nonviolent offenses such as public drunkenness or harassment. However, community leaders argue that any legal issues should be addressed through the judicial system, not through sudden detentions by ICE.
The Bhutanese community in Harrisburg, numbering approximately 25,000, is now living in fear. Many members were originally resettled in the U.S. after fleeing persecution in Bhutan during the 1980s and 1990s. Tilak Niroula, head of the Bhutanese Community in Harrisburg, highlighted the community’s plight, stating, “We were forcefully evicted once. There is no way we can go back to that same country where we were brutally tortured and forcefully evicted.”
As of now, the specific reasons for these detentions remain unclear, and it is uncertain where the detainees may be deported, given their refugee status and lack of a home country willing to accept them. Local officials and community leaders are calling on federal authorities to provide transparency and to reconsider the detentions, emphasizing the legal status and contributions of these individuals to the Harrisburg community.