Addressing Criminal Deportations to the Pacific Islands

Abstract

In the last decade, criminal deportations from Australia, New Zealand (NZ), and the United States (US) to Pacific Island countries (PICs) have substantially increased, driven by domestic politics securitising migration and crime. Deportations have raised regional concerns, including fears of potential transnational and domestic criminal activity if there is no formal reintegration support for returnees. Deporting states are key development and security partners to PICs, and should bear responsibility for the consequences of their deportation policies. Most people deported to Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands for criminal activity are males aged 25–35.1 Returnees have been prosecuted, sentenced and incarcerated for their crime(s) in the deporting state, and would otherwise be released as free — if it were not for their non-citizen status. Each deporting state has different criteria and thresholds for criminal deportation, although there are shared features of the overall process. Key problems around criminal deportations are a lack of support prior to deportation; poor information sharing; a lack of financial support for reintegration; and the diplomatic repercussions of deportation policies. This In Brief discusses each of these problems, and summarises policy recommendations for Australia, NZ and the US as major deporting states based on a recent extensive study into criminal deportations to PICs (McNeill 2024).