Help Mohan Karki Reunite with His Family
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Mohan Karki, a Bhutanese-Nepali refugee is currently in a Michigan jail under the threat of deportation. His wife, Tika Basnet, continues to push for his freedom while raising the Columbus couple’s newborn daughter on her own.
MOHAN'S STORY
Mohan Karki is a beloved Ohio community member, caregiver to his aging parents, new dad, and husband to his wife of four years, Tika.
- On April 8 Mohan was suddenly taken into custody at a routine ICE check in. This was based on a teenage burglary offense he pleaded to without understanding the charges or their impacts.
- On June 10, 2025, Tika was due to give birth to their first child, when she received a phone call from ICE officials saying that Mohan was “gone…on a plane.” Rather than heading to the hospital to give birth, Tika went in-person, to plead to ICE officials for Mohan's right to stay in the country. Tika found out that Mohan was flown from Ohio's Butler Detention Center to Michigan. At the last minute, and through legal and community support, Mohan won a temporary emergency stay of removal, allowing him critical additional time to challenge his deportation in court.
- If he is deported by the U.S. to Bhutan, Mohan would face the life-threatening fate of at least 39 other Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugees deported to Bhutan since March 2025. These Bhutanese Americans were first welcomed to the U.S. under refugee resettlement, beginning in 2007. This deportation is a double expulsion, as Bhutanese officials have expelled all 39 individuals from the country within 24 hours—leaving them stateless and stripped of identification and basic needs.
- Today Mohan remains incarcerated in St. Clair County, Michigan for the indefinite future, which means that he has not yet seen or held his daughter.
- Tika has been tirelessly fighting for her husband's right to remain in their home, here in the United States—all while shouldering the emotional and economic burdens of her growing family alone, without her partner and best friend.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Supporting Tika and her family is crucial as they navigate the challenges posed by Mohan's unjust deportation order. Bhutanese Americans have a rightful place in their communities, and it is essential to recognize and honor Tika's unwavering spirit and dedication to advocacy. By standing with her and the Bhutanese community, we can collectively affirm their belonging and resilience in the face of adversity.
IN TIKA'S WORDS:
"Mohan is a kind, humble, and deeply loving person. As his wife, I know firsthand how much he cares about others. He puts his family before himself, always working hard to support us and care for his parents. During my pregnancy, he was my emotional and physical support. Now that we have a newborn daughter, his absence is heartbreaking. Every day, I feel the weight of raising her alone while he is in detention.
Deporting Mohan would not only break our family apart, but it would also be deeply unfair to a man who has done everything he can to do the right thing. Our daughter deserves to grow up with her father. His parents deserve the support of their son. And I deserve the love and partnership of the man I married—someone who has never stopped trying to be better, for all of us."
Co-organizers (2)
jona hilario
Organizer
Blacklick, OH
Tika Basnet
Co-organizer