U.S. Federal Court Dismisses Mohan Karki’s Petition, Allowing Deportation to Proceed

Federal Court Dismisses Mohan Karki’s Habeas Petition, Clearing Path for Deportation

The case of Mohan Karki, a Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reached a critical point on December 8, 2025, when the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan dismissed his habeas corpus petition. Karki had filed the petition on October 8, 2025, arguing that his detention was unlawful and seeking to halt what his lawyers feared was an imminent deportation to Bhutan. The court’s decision effectively closed the legal avenue he was pursuing to prevent removal.

In the days before the ruling, Karki’s case drew public attention after immigrant-rights advocates revealed that ICE had secured Bhutanese travel documents for him—valid through March 2026—and had even purchased an airline ticket for December 2. His attorneys filed emergency motions for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and a preliminary injunction to block any attempt to deport him before the scheduled court hearing. On December 1, the court issued an interim order requiring ICE to bring Karki to court, preventing the government from carrying out a pre-hearing deportation.

After hearing arguments on December 3, Judge Stephen J. Murphy III issued the final order on December 8. The court dismissed the habeas petition and denied the TRO and preliminary injunction as moot. The ruling noted that because Bhutan had issued valid travel documents and there appeared to be a “significant likelihood of removal in the reasonably foreseeable future,” Karki’s continued detention did not violate U.S. immigration law. With this conclusion, the court found no legal basis to intervene in the deportation process.

For the Bhutanese-Nepali community and refugee-rights advocates, the decision was a major setback. Groups following the case warned that deporting individuals like Karki—many of whom were born in refugee camps and have tenuous claims to legal nationality—could place them at risk of statelessness or hardship upon return. Prior media reports also highlighted growing concerns about ICE detaining refugees during routine check-ins and moving quickly to enforce old removal orders without adequate procedural protections.

With the court’s dismissal, Karki remains subject to deportation unless his legal team files an appeal or pursues a new form of relief. The outcome underscores the challenges many long-term immigrant detainees face when using federal habeas petitions to challenge removal actions. As of now, the December 8 ruling stands as the most authoritative update, and community members await whether further legal action will be taken on his behalf.

Sources (Verified):

1. U.S. Federal Court Docket – Karki v. ICE, Detroit Field Office, Case No. 2:25-cv-13186, filed Oct. 8, 2025; terminated Dec. 8, 2025 →
   https://habeasdockets.org/dockets/docket/2649/?utm_source=chatgpt.com