They were deported to Tonga as strangers to their own land. Now these returnees are helping fight a drug crisis
ABCAs Latu Liava'a set foot again in Tonga, he felt like a stranger in his former country after years living in "the heart of gangs" on the US west coast. Chairman of the Dare to Dream board Uhilamoelangi Fasi said one challenge was overcoming the stigma attached to the name "deportee", or "tīpota" in Tongan. "But in the meantime, it's really important that the Tongan government takes action to support the growing number of returnees in Tonga," she said. "The lack of support for deportees in their home countries means many vulnerable individuals turn to crime and drug smuggling," the paper said. Stephanie Greathead from New Zealand's Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment said Immigration New Zealand piloted reintegration support for returning criminal deportees with Tonga, after the COVID pandemic.
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