Another 10 Uzbek citizens deported from the United States are set to be repatriated this week, according to Ahror Burhonov, spokesperson for Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These individuals, initially scheduled for transfer to Costa Rica, will now return to Uzbekistan on a direct New York-Tashkent flight. Earlier, on February 24, seven Uzbek citizens arrived in the country via the same route.
Costa Rica has agreed to accept 200 deported citizens from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and India. However, Uzbek authorities have reiterated their commitment to assisting all citizens, regardless of where they are located.
Uzbekistan’s diplomatic missions in Washington and New York have been actively coordinating with US law enforcement agencies to ensure the safe repatriation of Uzbek nationals. Under existing agreements, American authorities promptly notify Uzbekistan about each deportation case, with repatriation typically carried out via the New York-Tashkent route.
In November, the US finalized deportation orders for 975 Uzbek citizens as part of a broader repatriation effort involving over 1.4mn foreign nationals from various countries. Among Central Asian countries, the deportation list included 369 Kazakh, 319 Kyrgyz, 149 Tajik, and 40 Turkmen citizens.
Earlier report by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showed a sharp rise in deportations to Uzbekistan, with 572 individuals sent back between September 2023 and September 2024. This represented a 6.5-fold increase from the previous year.
Overall deportations from the U.S. have also surged, nearly doubling from 142,580 in 2023 to 271,484 in 2024—the highest in a decade. By comparison, only 21 Uzbeks were deported in 2021, 55 in 2022, and 88 in 2013, highlighting an upward trend.
