Pacific Islanders Confront Deportation as Trump’s Hardline Policies Return
With Donald Trump back in the White House after his 2024 election win, the United States government has seen a resurgence of his tough immigration policies. Since his inauguration, one thing is clear, deportations are top priority. For many in Pacific Island nations this means facing the harsh reality of being forced to leave a country they’ve called home for years. While the focus is always on countries close to the US, Pacific Island communities are feeling the heat too.
Since President Trump returned to office, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations has arrested more than 3,500 unauthorised immigrants across the US.
A document from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations has listed over 1.4 million noncitizens with final orders of removal, many from Pacific Island nations.
The data reveals that while deportations are widespread across many regions, Pacific Island nations have seen a notable share of individuals targeted for removal.
- Federated States of Micronesia: 72
- Fiji: 353
- Kiribati: 3
- Marshall Islands: 39
- Palau: 8
- Samoa: 57
- Tonga: 151
Many of those affected have been in the US for extended periods of time, even decades, but under the Trump administration’s immigration policies many Pacific Islanders are vulnerable to deportation. Under his “zero tolerance” policies the focus is on removing anyone with a final deportation order.
For Pacific Islanders who have been in the US for decades this is devastating. Many have no criminal record but the aggressive stance on immigration means they could be sent back to countries they barely know, or in some cases never even lived in.
Critics say Trump’s executive orders have led to mass deportation operations that extend beyond simply removing individuals with criminal records.. While the administration claims to target serious offenders, many of those deported have no criminal record or minor offenses.
Leaders from Pacific Island nations are getting expressed increasing concern about the deportations. In Samoa government officials are reluctantly accepting the deportations of Samoan citizens, with Police Minister Faualo Harry Schuster telling the Samoa Observer, “We just have to accept them back into the country.”
With Trump back in office it looks like his tough immigration policies from his first term will continue. Deportations will be top priority and Pacific Islanders will be at risk.
The return of Donald Trump to the presidency means more deportations, and for Pacific Islanders living in the U.S., that’s a harsh reality. As Trump’s second term continues, Pacific Island nations and their citizens will be closely monitoring the situation, hoping for a shift towards fairer policies that better take into account their unique circumstances.