Bhutanese Americans are Americans of Bhutanese descent. According to the 2010 census there are 19,439 Americans of Bhutanese descent. However, many Bhutanese came to the U.S. from Nepal as political refugees from that country and they surpass, according to some estimates, 71,000 people.
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Demography
According to the 2010 census there are 19,439 Bhutanese-Americans. However, many Bhutanese came to the U.S. from Nepal as political refugees from that country. These political refugees formed, according to estimates of June 20, 2010, a population of 27,926 people in United States. Many Bhutanese Americans are of Hindu religion. The others are Kiratas, Buddhists and Christians.
Bhutanese Nepali
Many of the Bhutanese living in the United States, were actually ethnic minorities in Nepal. This was because, between the late 80s and early 90s, thousands of Bhutanese were driven out of Bhutan, as they were considered by the government of his country as "illegal immigrants" because they did not share the Tibetan origin majority of the population of country. Despite this, however, these Bhutanese came from families who had been living in Bhutan for more than two centuries. The government's goal was to maintain the Tibetan ethnic purity of most of the population. Thus, since 1990, more than 105,000 ethnically Nepali Bhutanese refugees temporarily migrated to neighboring Nepal, from where their ancestors came, establishing in refugee camps in the east of the country. However, after 15 years living in exile in the neighboring country, many of them have migrated to the U.S., Europe and Australia. His emigration to the United States is due, at least in large part, to a program coordinated by the U.S. State Department and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Of the 60,000 Bhutanese - Nepali refugees that U.S. has offered to resettle in his country, according to BBC News on June 20, 2010, had already 27,926 lived in USA. However, in Oct. 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that around 71,000 Bhutanese refugees living in the U.S.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the Bhutanese refugees are sent to places such as New York City, Chicago, Syracuse (New York), St. Louis (Missouri) and other cities. The refugees also are sent to states as Texas, Arizona, Maryland or Oregon. The community is being helped by The Hindu Temple of Minnesota, Lutheran and Catholic social organizations, who give them material and moral support.
In 2014, Connecting Cleveland, a four-page paper with stories in English and Nepali was launched to serve Nepali-speaking Bhutanese families in the Cleveland, Ohio area.
Social Issues
A trouble in the community is the high rate of suicide. Since 2008, more than 30 Bhutanese refugees, shortly after resettlement in United States, committed suicide.
Organizations
Some Bhutanese American organizations are the Bhutanese American Association of Houston (BaaH) and the Association of Bhutanese in America (ABA). The Bhutanese American Association of Houston has an ESL program, which provides older people in the community to fend for themselves and learn English. In addition, ESL students are taken to various places of recreation and parks to facilitate adaptation at the city. The Association of Bhutanese in America aims to establish relationships between U.S. Bhutanese and Bhutanese in Bhutan and elsewhere, as well as establish a platform that favors their relationship with the community and their country of origin.