A report says dozens of community members have been deported during an intensified immigration crackdown, creating uncertainty for families and changing the work of Asian Refugees United. It says some deportees are sent to Bhutan before being expelled to India or Nepal, leaving them without an obvious route home.
For ARU co-founder Robin Gurung, that uncertainty has reportedly meant moving much of his time from football to advocacy. Immigration lawyers, civic-engagement training and meetings with lawmakers have become as important as organising sessions on the pitch.
The community’s football culture carries a long history. The report traces it to refugee camps in Nepal, where football offered structure and belonging during years of displacement.
That legacy lives on through the Kalu Singh Tamang Memorial Tournament, which reportedly brings together Bhutanese refugees from across the United States. Proceeds help support Soccer for Success, a youth programme serving more than 50 children each week.
The tournament also honours Tamang, whom the report describes as a former national football figure in Bhutan who coached refugees in the Beldangi camp before his death there. His name gives the event a purpose beyond competition: it connects younger players with a history they did not experience themselves.
Dulal’s work as a youth coach and detainee translator reflects the community’s dual reality. Children continue to train under coaches from their parents’ generation, even as adults navigate fear and uncertainty.
Ahead of an advocacy day in Washington, ARU staff member Manju Gurung described the effort as “a future of hope, for our parents and all refugee parents around the globe.”
The next tournament and every weekly training session will therefore carry two meanings: preserving a football tradition and keeping a community together while its families seek clearer answers about the future.