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Fiji should prepare for US deportees, says Naidu

January 28, 2025 3:45 pm

Fiji should prepare for a hike in criminal activity with the announcement by US President Donald Trump that illegal immigrants, including drug addicts, sexual offenders and those with criminal records will be deported.

This, was the claim made by former Fiji Law Society president and prominent local lawyer Dorsami Naidu.

He said there were a number of Fijians who were illegal immigrants in the US, having overstayed and some may have gotten involved in criminal activities while there.

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President Trump’s definition of illegal immigrants includes people who have been in the country legally and some for over 5-10 years or more on a Green Card but who just failed to become US citizens because of criminal activity would be declared illegal and sent back to their country of origin,” he said.

“While Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has come out in support of Mr Trump’s decision to send the illegal immigrants packing, I do not think that he realises the complex nature of the problems.

“Also, he seems not to comprehend the problem these deportees will bring with them.

“A few years ago, I had raised the issue of Fijians on Green Card or Permanent Residency visa in America, and other countries, who had failed to get their citizenship and were caught in criminal activity involving guns, drugs, sexual offending or other violent activity and were deported back to Fiji.

“They were deported even though they had been in those countries for 10 years or more. They brought their unsavoury activities here and there is no monitoring of them by the authorities. See the mess we are in now.”

Naidu said Mexico was preparing shelters to cater for deportees and Tonga has also raised concern on the deportations.

“But we have a Prime Minister who has welcomed the decision by Mr Trump without probably thinking of the far-reaching consequences of the deportations of Fijians.”