For Tongan college students at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, the beginning of the brand new semester has include the same old stressors — adjusting to new schedules, new professors and new roommates.
Also, navigating a brand-new, U.S.-imposed journey ban.
Starting Jan. 1, their dwelling nation, a majority Latter-day Saint nation positioned within the South Pacific, has joined the ever-growing checklist of these locations whose residents are barred, with just a few exceptions, from getting into the United States.
The coverage doesn’t influence these already within the U.S. with a legitimate visa. This means Tongan college students at present attending the college owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will not be topic to deportation.
(J. Matt | Special to The Tribune) The campus of BYU-Hawaii in 2022.
As lengthy because the ban stays in place, nevertheless, no new Tongan college students can be permitted to reach and people at present attending BYU-Hawaii can not trip between dwelling and Oahu, the place the college is positioned. Families of scholars are likewise barred, together with for occasions like graduations.
Those with U.S. citizenship will not be topic to the brand new guidelines.
Earlier this month, the State Department announced that Tongan residents (in addition to these from dozens of different nations) can put up a $15,000 visa bond reimbursed upon their return to the island — so long as they return to their nation inside 30 days. This doesn’t apply to scholar visas.
BYU-Hawaii didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark, together with a query about what number of of its practically 3,000 college students are from Tonga. The college’s website lists the island country second among the many high 10 nations represented inside its scholar physique, simply after the Philippines.
“I have been teaching Tongan students…at BYU-Hawaii for 20 years,” Tongan anthropology professor Tevita Ka’ili wrote on Facebook. “I am deeply concerned about the negative impacts of the current travel restrictions on my Tongan students, both those studying now and those in the future.”
Why Tonga was included
The December news release asserting the ban included restrictions on nations internationally, the bulk positioned in Africa or the Middle East. Issued by the White House, the discover defined the curtailments are supposed to “protect the nation from national security and public safety threats.”
In the context of Tonga, the discharge cited overstay information from 2024 as obvious justification for its place on the checklist.
According to these numbers, collected by the Department of Homeland Security, Tonga had a suspected in-country overstay fee (excluding those that finally returned to Tonga however did so after their admission interval expired) of 6%, or 140 people, in 2024 for these touring with vacationer or business-related visas. For those that arrived on a scholar visa, or what’s referred to as an “exchange visitor” visa (given to au pairs, interns, camp counselors and the like), that quantity was 13%, or 12 people.
“There are many overstayers,” stated Tongan American Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, CEO of certainly one of Utah’s largest Pacific Islander organizations: Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, one of many founders of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), described the journey ban as “justified.”
Given this, the Latter-day Saint and Taylorsville resident known as the journey ban “justified” and emphasised that she had heard little nervousness expressed over it by different Tongans residing in Utah.
Beyond BYU-Hawaii
Audrey Perry Martin, the spokesperson for the religion’s flagship BYU campus, in Provo, declined to touch upon questions concerning the dimensions of the college’s Tongan scholar inhabitants and its efforts to help them, citing a need to guard their privateness.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) The scholar part snaps selfies with Cosmo through the volleyball match-up between Brigham Young University and Utah State University on the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse
in Provo, Sept. 1, 2022.
When requested the identical questions, BYU-Idaho spokesperson Brett Crandall responded that the college has no college students enrolled from Tonga on scholar visas.
Likewise for Utah State University.
University of Utah spokesperson Rebecca Walsh stated the college had fewer than 10 college students, college and workers complete who’re Tongan residents. The faculty, Walsh stated, is intently monitoring adjustments in immigration and journey insurance policies that might influence college students and updating its web site commonly with related info. In addition to advising these within the nation on visas to maintain their documentation updated and useful, the U. is discouraging “nonessential” worldwide journey and offering those that want it with entry to psychological well being counseling and a case supervisor.
Citing federal scholar privateness legal guidelines, Southern Utah University spokesperson Brooke Heath didn’t present a quantity however nodded on the Tongan presence in a press release affirming the college’s dedication to the group — in addition to federal coverage.
“We continue to be in communication with our Tongan citizen students and the broader international student body to ensure they have access to the necessary support and information,” Heath stated. “As a public institution, SUU adheres to all state and federal regulations while remaining steadfast in our commitment to our global campus community.”
LDS Church stays silent
According to the Utah-based world church, more than 68,600 Latter-day Saints are on its rolls in Tonga, a significant majority in a nation whose population has hovered round 100,000 for many years.
When requested about President Donald Trump’s journey bans, together with the one on Tonga, church spokesperson Doug Andersen pointed to earlier information releases concerning the 2017 ban focusing on Muslim-majority nations.
(Doug Mills | The New York Times) President Donald Trump speaks throughout an govt order signing occasion within the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in December. His administration has put new limits on travels from Tonga.
Those included quotes by religion founder Joseph Smith in help of spiritual freedom and a name, issued a day after the 2017 ban, to “all people and governments to cooperate fully in seeking the best solutions to meet human needs and relieve suffering.”
Amid the avalanche of govt orders that accompanied the beginning of Trump’s second time period, the church again issued a news release concerning immigration in January 2025. In it, church leaders emphasised that the church “obeys the law.”
“We follow Jesus Christ by loving our neighbors,” the discharge added, additional noting the religion’s goal to offer assist to these in want and the significance of “keeping families together.”
Note to readers • The Tribune’s Peggy Fletcher Stack contributed reporting to this story. The article is offered to Tribune subscribers solely. Thank you for supporting native journalism.