Nearly 700 Uzbek citizens have been returned home from the United States since the end of January last year amid the tightening of American immigration policies following the inauguration of President Donald Trump. During this period, diplomats from both countries organized 11 deportation flights from the United States to Tashkent, Asiaplus.tj reports.
The eleventh flight was announced last week: 44 people returned to Uzbekistan. The flight lasted over 24 hours and involved several transfers, including at airports in Armenia and Romania.
According to diplomatic sources, many of the deportees spent extended periods in US detention centers after attempting to illegally cross the border. One of the returnees said he went to America out of curiosity and inspired by stories from acquaintances, not fully understanding the risks.
He said the journey cost him $23,000, although he knows people who spent up to $80,000 on a similar route. The journey from Uzbekistan to Mexico took almost a month, with the most difficult part being the trek through forested and inaccessible areas. Upon arriving in the United States, he was immediately placed in a immigration detention center, where he spent approximately three months.
He also noted that some foreigners are held in such facilities for years and urged his compatriots not to believe stories of easy money in the United States, emphasizing that even after illegal entry through Mexico, finding work and legalization is extremely difficult.
According to the Dunyo news agency, the citizens who arrived in Tashkent expressed gratitude to the Uzbek government for facilitating their return home. The agency later reported that staff from the Uzbek Embassy in the United States visited temporary detention centers in Caroline and Farmville, Virginia, where they inspected the conditions of detention, as well as the health and nutrition of those detained.
The citizens in custody informed diplomats that they were detained for illegal entry, and that most of them were facing deportation proceedings. They requested assistance in returning home as quickly as possible.
The embassy, in turn, recommended that Uzbek citizens abroad obtain legal residency status and strictly adhere to the laws of their host country, especially given changes in U.S. immigration policy.
CentralasanLIGHT.org
January 27, 2026