New travel restrictions in Tonga create uncertainty in Utah
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President Trump's latest travel limits affecting Tonga are expected to reverberate in Utah, which is home to one of the world's largest populations of Tongans outside the Pacific Islands.
Why it matters: The rules could disrupt education, employment and family reunification for Tongans in Utah.
State of play: As of Jan. 1, citizens of Tonga face partial travel restrictions and limited entry to the U.S., along with those from 14 other countries, amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, citing visa overstays and national security concerns.
- Tonga was the only Pacific Island on the list, released last month, which also includes Antigua, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
The big picture: Utah's large Tongan American community traces its origins to missionary work that began more than a century ago by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bringing many converts to the Beehive State.
- About 61,000 Latter-day Saints live in Tonga, according to the Church's tally.
- About 20,000 Tongan residents live in the state, per the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. One in four Tongan Americans resides in Utah.
The other side: Singling out Tonga is "unjustified and deeply offensive to the people of Hawai'i, where Polynesian identity is foundational," Democratic Hawai'i state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole said last month, per the Star Advertiser.
- "The claim that the U.S. is protecting its security by restricting Tongans from traveling to the U.S. is unfounded," Tevita Kaili, a Tongan professor at Brigham Young University, Hawaii, told the Guardian, adding that Tonga previously sent soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan to support the U.S.
Yes, but: An archived U.S. State Department webpage published in 2023 describes the relationship between the U.S. and Tonga as "broad and deep, based on shared values and close cooperation on matters ranging from combating the climate crisis to improving maritime security."
What we're watching: The U.S. travel restrictions raise questions about future relations between the two countries.