Almost every village in Rukum East and Rukum West has stories of local young men and women paying hefty sums to cross multiple borders illegally to get to the United States. Some have succeeded but many have been detained, deported or stranded in foreign lands.

The impact of Donald Trump’s re-election and stricter immigration policies that followed in its wake is being felt in remote Nepali villages. Parents who invested millions to send their children abroad now fear they may be sent back, leaving them in financial ruin.

A middle-aged man from Banphikot Rural Municipality-3 in Rukum West spent over Rs3.1 million to send his eldest daughter, aged 31, to the US four years ago. Seeing her start to earn, his other children wanted to follow her path. His youngest daughter, aged 25, reached the US five months ago while his 18-year-old son got there a month and a half ago. In each case, the man paid Rs 7.5 million rupees to traffickers.

Now, his son has just come out after spending 41 days at a US detention center while his youngest daughter is still in jail. “People say that the US is deporting them. If they get deported, we’ll be ruined,” the man lamented. “I am nearly Rs30 million in debt. The stress is unbearable.”

The man’s eldest daughter had contributed some money. He said he had borrowed around Rs20 million. But with interest, the loan has ballooned over Rs30 million. “Even if they start working in the US, it will take decades to pay off this debt,” he says. “We neither have our children with us nor any money in our hand. We are in trouble.”

Another man from the same village spent Rs7.5 million to send his 20-year-old daughter to the US. According to him, his daughter left home 13 months ago and has been stranded in Mexico for the past three months.

“I took out loans at a high interest rate, thinking she’d reach the US soon and earn. But a year has passed and she’s still stuck,” he lamented. Her traffickers confiscated her phone, leaving her with no way to contact her family except through occasional calls from others’ phones. “The agents took all the money but haven’t let her move forward. What if she gets sent back from Mexico itself?”

Adding to his woes, the man complained that he had previously paid another agent Rs5 million, who vanished without sending his daughter to the US. “He promised a direct flight route but went out of contact,” he added.

Illegal migration routes to the US involve crossing at least 13 countries. Many leave Nepal for India or the UAE, then travel through Russia, Spain, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia before reaching Panama. From there, they trek through dangerous jungles and cross into Mexico before trying to enter the US.

A couple from Sisne Rural Municipality-3 in Rukum East sent their son on this treacherous journey two-and-a-half years ago. The son finally reached the US but was immediately detained in Texas.

“I’ve spent Rs80 million so far. A month ago, I heard he was jailed in Texas. We had hoped he’d start working soon, but now people are saying he might get deported,” said the elderly husband .

With loan sharks knocking at his door, he fears financial ruin. “I don’t have a single rupee left. If he gets deported, we’ll be finished.”

A woman from the same village in Sisne-3 has a similar ordeal. Her 24-year-old daughter reached Mexico two weeks ago. After an agent swindled Rs30 million, she paid Rs7 million to another trafficker. “Despite all this debt, our American dream is slipping away,” she says. “We fear she will be forced to return.”

Families of migrants avoid speaking openly about their plight. Even those who do conceal their identities, worried about the consequences. Their primary concern is ensuring that their children secure jobs in the US so they can start repaying their debts.

There are no official records of how many people from Rukum West have migrated to the US or of their current status. Dipendra BK, deputy chief of the District Coordination Committee, admits they do not have data.

Janak Kumar Batha Magar, chairman of Banphikot Rural Municipality, acknowledges that almost every household has sent someone to the US. “However, the local unit does not have an exact record,” he said.

“The attraction of America is immense. Some families have sent three to four members to the US. But we can’t track how many left or what happened to them,” said Magar. Local units do not have plans for those who might be deported. “It’s beyond our control,” he said.

Sisne Rural Municipality chairman Krishna Regmi estimates that 600 people from his local unit are in the US while 200 others are en route. He believes the federal government must intervene. “If they are sent back, we can provide basic vocational training and small jobs,” said Regmi, adding, “But for those who dreamed of earning millions, this won’t be enough.”

The US government started deporting illegal migrants including those from Nepal. At least 35 Nepali nationals who did not have proper documents to live and work in the US have been deported over a month-and-a-half following the swearing-in of Donald Trump as the US president on January 20.

On Wednesday, nine Nepali nationals who were living and working illegally in the US were brought to Kathmandu on a chartered flight—handcuffed throughout the journey. Four of the nine deportees are from Rukum—two each from Rukum East and Rukum West.

A 22-year-old man from Bhume Rural Municipality-1, a 43-year-old man from Puthauttarganga Rural Municipality-12 in Rukum East, and a man each from Banphikot Rural Municipality and Musikot Municipality-13 of Rukum West were deported on Wednesday (names withheld for privacy).

“My son had gone to the US after paying Rs7.5 million [to the middlemen]. He reached there a year ago and was jailed. He was sent back straight out of jail. We have been ruined,” lamented the mother of a deportee from Bhume Rural Municipality. According to her, she is in debt of around Rs10 million.