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With strong UTEP ties, Bhutan’s place on draft travel ban raises concerns for El Paso [1]
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Date: 2025-03-23
The Kingdom of Bhutan is among the world’s smallest, most serene countries. It is known for its tranquility and natural beauty. Many border residents are familiar with the country because of its historic ties to the University of Texas at El Paso.
Much of the institution’s buildings reflect Bhutanese architecture, and campus visitors will find examples of cultural artifacts and tapestries that were gifts from the kingdom. The university also enrolls many, if not the most, Bhutanese nationals who pursue higher education degrees in the United States.
That could change because the Trump administration may include it on its list of countries whose residents are banned or restricted from traveling to America. The reason: “national security concerns” and “irregular migration patterns,” according to the U.S. government. It points to a reported 37% increase in visa abuses by Bhutanese nationals during the past year.
A Bhutan native who recently graduated from UTEP and is continuing her education in the Northeast said she was deeply concerned that her country was part of a U.S. list for travel bans or restrictions. The woman agreed to comment, but requested anonymity due to the topic’s sensitivity.
“This situation has been incredibly distressing, not only for me but for many in my community who came to the U.S. in pursuit of better opportunities,” she said. “Like many Bhutanese immigrants, I have invested significantly in my education with the hope of building a stable future here. However, the current circumstances leave me uncertain about whether I will ever have the opportunity to fulfill that dream.”
The Lhakhang originally was erected by Bhutanese carpenters and artists in 2008 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., during the 42nd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It was dismantled after the event and stored for the University of Texas at El Paso until it was rebuilt several years later on the southern edge of UTEP’s Centennial Plaza. (Daniel Perez / El Paso Matters)
The UTEP graduate, who has not been to Bhutan in several years, said if the draft list becomes real, she and her friends would have serious concerns about traveling to their native land. She had planned a visa interview in India to facilitate her return, but canceled those plans because of the uncertainty surrounding visa approvals.
Officials with U.S. embassies, security specialists and regional bureaus of the State Department continue to review the draft memo, according to the New York Times, which first reported the story. Indian financial news channel CNBC TV18 reported that Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested a review of its country’s inclusion on the list.
If Bhutan, a country with almost 800,000 population, stays on the travel ban/restriction list, it will create a serious challenge for its residents who enroll at UTEP and other U.S. institutions of higher education.
Representatives from UTEP’s Office of International Programs, Dean of Students office, Marketing and Communications and Bhutanese Student Association did not respond to questions about this situation. A request for comment from the Permanent Mission of Bhutan to the United Nations also was not returned.
Kishor Panthi, an investigative journalist in New York who covers politics, social issues and immigration, said Bhutanese college students who already are in the U.S. may not want to travel home because they could be denied reentry. For those who have worked to enroll at a U.S. institution, a travel ban could mean the loss of years of preparation, financial investment and a long-held dream.
The inside of the Lhakhang includes intricate and colorful paintings that depict the “Story of Buddha” and “Buddhism Comes to Bhutan,” as well as traditional carvings, sculptures, furniture, masks and costumes. (Daniel Perez / El Paso Matters)
“A ban would completely block their access to higher education opportunities in the U.S.,” said Panthi, a native of Nepal, a country just west of Bhutan. “If this policy is tied to diplomatic issues, such as Bhutan’s stance on accepting deported individuals from the U.S., it would be deeply unjust to punish students for broader political decisions.”
Panthi added that even under normal circumstances, it is complicated for a Bhutanese national to obtain a U.S. student visa (F-1, M-1 or J-1). He explained that students must travel to India for visa processing due to the lack of a U.S. embassy in Bhutan.
According to the US Grad website, the State Department approved 317 F-1 visas for students from Bhutan from fiscal year 2018 through fiscal year 2022. The largest number was 87 in 2022 and the fewest was 14 in 2020 during the pandemic.
Panthi said that most of the Bhutanese students enroll in colleges and universities in Texas or New York. An executive summary of Bhutanese students abroad reported that as of June 2020, 93 of the country’s college students attended American higher education institutions.
While UTEP did not provide the current number of Bhutanese students enrolled on campus, a November 2024 article about a collaboration between the university and Bhutanese scientists reported that it registered approximately 60 Bhutanese students.
Read More UTEP tells its researchers to maintain focus despite NIH plans to cut funding The National Institutes of Health’s plan to cap administrative costs of grant awards at 15% was blocked by a judge hours after it took effect Monday.
Because of concerns raised by the New York Times’ March 14 story, which was picked up by foreign and domestic media, the U.S. State Department refuted the report Monday, but added that the department continued security reviews.
According to the Times’ story, more than 40 countries were included on draft lists under three different tiers: red, orange and yellow. Media reports stated that Bhutan was on the red and yellow lists.
The red tier, which means an outright ban, included Iran, Libya, Syria, North Korea and Afghanistan. The orange tier would mean restricted travel, limited entry after an interview and only allowed a short-term nonimmigrant visa. This level included Haiti, Russia and Pakistan. The yellow tier contained Belarus, Pakistan and several Caribbean countries. These entries would have 60 days to address the administration’s concerns otherwise they could be elevated to a higher tier.
President Trump issued an executive order January 20 that required several offices, agencies and departments to include the Department of Homeland Security to identify countries that lacked proper vetting and screening to deserve partial or full suspension of admission of nationals from those countries. The report was due in 60 days, which was Friday, March 21.
Of the 180 nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors who came to the United States of America from Bhutan via air or sea in fiscal year 2023, there were 48 overstays, according to the DHS Entry/Exit Overstay Report: Fiscal Year 2023 Report to Congress. That is almost 27%. An overstay is when someone remains in a country longer than the authorized visa period.
Former University of Texas at El Paso President Diana Natalicio, who led the institution from 1988 through August 2019, played a key role in securing the Lhakhang for the institution. (Daniel Perez / El Paso Matters)
Bhutan, a Buddhist and Hindu country also known as the “land of the thunder dragon,” is almost 15,000 square miles or about twice the size of New Jersey. Nestled between China and India, the country is known for its philosophy of “Gross National Happiness,” which emphasizes people’s social, physical, spiritual and material needs instead of financial need.
UTEP’s connection with Bhutan started in 1917 after Kathleen Worrell, wife of the dean of the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, which became UTEP, convinced her husband to suggest that the buildings at the college’s new campus mirror the dzongs, or fortresses, of the Himalayan kingdom. Much of the original campus, which was on present day Fort Bliss, was destroyed by a fire in October 1916.
Worrell had seen pictures of the buildings in a 1914 article in National Geographic titled “Castles in the Air: Experiences and Journeys in Unknown Bhutan.” She said the Franklin Mountains reminded her of the Himalayas. The architectural style included gently sloping walls, high inset windows, projected roof eaves and dark brick bands with mosaic tiles.
In the late 1960s, the editor of the university magazine, NOVA, started correspondence with the queen of Bhutan where he shared UTEP’s use of Bhutanese architecture, according to a 2019 Texas Highways article. The first Bhutanese student enrolled at the institution a few years later and graduated in 1978.
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