Unconfirmed information circulating on social media claims that about five Tongans were arrested by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement after arriving on an Alaska Airlines flight at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Kaniva News contacted ICE seeking confirmation of whether the arrests occurred, when they allegedly took place and the grounds on which the Tongans may have been detained. ICE had not responded at the time of publication.

US-based Tongan pastor Olympia Kaumatule Tukutau posted a warning on Facebook about the reported arrests, claiming that ICE had previously detained several other Tongans.

However, no photographs, official documents or direct accounts from the alleged detainees or their families have emerged publicly to substantiate the latest claim.

The allegation comes amid a significant expansion of immigration enforcement at airports across the United States, including against travellers taking domestic flights.

Recent investigations have revealed that the Transportation Security Administration has been sharing passenger information with ICE to help agents locate travellers who may be subject to deportation.

Tongans Face Wider Restrictions

The allegation also emerges as Tongans in Tonga continue to face difficulties travelling to the United States following restrictions imposed by the Trump administration in January.

As Kaniva News reported this week, tighter US visa policies have significantly affected Tongan pickleball players seeking to compete in international tournaments.

Several players were unable to attend a recent tournament in Utah after their visa applications were denied, despite some having previously held multiple-entry US visas and travelled to the country.

Tournament president Johnny Hafoka said the number of Tongan participants fell from 20 last year to eight this year. Players have also faced the prospect of visa bonds and increased scrutiny when entering the United States.

TSA Data Fuels Arrests

According to Reuters, ICE arrested more than 800 people following TSA referrals between President Donald Trump’s return to office and February 2026.

The TSA reportedly supplied ICE with records relating to more than 31,000 travellers through its Secure Flight programme, which was originally established for aviation-security screening.

A formal information-sharing agreement between TSA and ICE was signed in May 2025, but its details only became publicly known in July following legal action seeking the documents.

CBS News reported that the cooperation had expanded beyond national-security and serious-criminal investigations to include civil immigration violations, such as overstaying an authorised period in the country.

ICE sources told the outlet that airports enabled agents to know in advance when targeted individuals would be travelling and where they could be located.

The wider airport-enforcement campaign makes the latest allegation concerning Tongans plausible enough to warrant investigation, but it does not confirm that the reported arrests occurred.

There is also no evidence presently available to Kaniva News suggesting that Alaska Airlines participated in the alleged enforcement action. The airline’s name is relevant only because social-media accounts identify it as the carrier on which the Tongans allegedly travelled.

A man who identified himself as the apparent police officer shown restraining and punching another man in a video reported by Kaniva News has come forward to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident and apologise for his conduct.

The sender, Antonio Mafileo Tongia, contacted Kaniva News through Facebook Messenger after the article was published. A review of his Facebook profile indicates that he is from Tokomololo and works for Tonga Police.

However, Tonga Police have not officially confirmed his employment or that he is the uniformed man shown in the 58-second video.

Tongia said he had finished work and was acting as a private citizen when the incident occurred. He said he was waiting for food at a takeaway when he discovered that a man had allegedly entered his vehicle, taken his mobile phone and passed it to a friend.

Tongia said he confronted the man and asked for the phone to be returned but became increasingly angry when the man repeatedly denied taking it.

“My patience grew heavy on the guy, so I held him down and started punching him,” Tongia said.

He claimed the alleged accomplice later passed the phone to a security officer at another restaurant across the street, who returned it to him.

Tongia said he released the restrained man after recovering the phone and checked that he was able to stand before driving away.

Despite explaining the circumstances leading to the incident, Tongia acknowledged that his actions were unacceptable and unlawful.

“I know violence is not the way, and I’m not satisfied any bit of what I did to the guy,” he said. “My emotions took the best of me and rage took over.”

“What I did was not lawful. I am very ashamed.”

Tongia said he had not intended to seriously harm the man and claimed that he loosened his grip whenever he believed the restraint was becoming excessive.

However, the video appeared to show the uniformed man applying his knee or body weight while holding the other man down as he struggled and waved his hands in apparent distress.

A person could be heard warning the apparent officer to treat the man appropriately or he could die.

The restraint technique drew widespread criticism online, including from senior prison officer and competitive Taekwondo practitioner Kuata Tokolahi, who described it as dangerous and warned that it could cause death.

Tongia apologised for his conduct and said he intended to find the man to try to make amends.

“I will try to find the guy and correct my actions,” he said. “I pray he’ll forgive me. Again, I am very ashamed.”

Tongia’s account remains an allegation and does not independently establish that the restrained man stole the phone. His Facebook profile and message also do not constitute official confirmation that he is a Tonga Police officer or the person shown in the video.

Kaniva News is seeking confirmation from Tonga Police and whether an investigation has been opened into the incident.

A 58-second video reportedly filmed in Tonga showing a man wearing what appears to be a police uniform restraining another man has sparked heated debate on Facebook, with a senior prison officer and competitive martial artist warning that the technique used was dangerous and could potentially result in death.

The video appears to show the uniformed man struggling with another man while restraining him on the ground.

At one point, the apparent officer appears to apply his knee or body weight while holding the man down. The man appears to struggle to breathe while waving his hands, seemingly signalling that he was in distress.

The circumstances surrounding the incident, including exactly where and when it occurred and what led to the confrontation, have not yet been independently confirmed by Kaniva News. Kaniva has also not independently confirmed that the uniformed man shown in the footage is a Tonga Police officer.

A person can be heard in the video calling on the officer to “treat the man appropriately.”

Martial Artist Warns of Danger

However, the restraint technique attracted particular criticism from Kuata Tokolahi, a senior prison officer who is also a notable competitive martial artist and Taekwondo practitioner representing the Tonga National Taekwondo Association (TNTA).

Tokolahi condemned the technique shown in the footage, describing it as very dangerous and warning that it could put the restrained person’s life at risk.

The footage prompted divided reactions among Facebook commenters.

Many defended the apparent officer, saying that although the technique looked dangerous, he appeared to be doing his job while trying to control a man during a physical struggle. Some argued that considerable force can sometimes be necessary when a person resists being restrained.

Others strongly disagreed and described the technique as unprofessional and unnecessarily dangerous. They argued that law-enforcement officers should be professionally trained to control and restrain people while minimising the risk of serious injury or death.

Authorities could not be reached for comment.

Tonga’s Attorney General’s Office has been hit by years of staffing difficulties, with professional lawyers resigning from positions ranging from senior leadership and mid-management to entry-level roles, Parliament has been told.

The disclosure follows recent criticism from the courts over the performance of Crown prosecutors, including concerns raised by Lord Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop KC over the handling of a vulnerable child witness.

Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua told Parliament that the staffing difficulties were identified in the general overview of the office’s report and were linked to the departure of professional legal staff at various levels.

“Ka ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a e pole ‘oku fehangahangai pea mo e potungāue ko ení,” he said in Tongan, emphasising the challenge facing the office.

The report said the situation needed to be reviewed and raised concerns about whether existing salary levels were sufficient to retain lawyers working within the Attorney General and Solicitor General’s offices.

Despite the staffing difficulties, the report described the overall performance of the offices as satisfactory.

The Government’s legal offices perform crucial functions, including legislative drafting, providing legal advice to the Government, handling international treaties and representing the Crown in civil, land, family and criminal proceedings, the Prime Minister said.

Chief Justice previously criticised prosecution

The Chief Justice’s concerns related to the prosecution’s handling of a 12-year-old witness in a criminal case involving a road-rage confrontation at Fātumu.

As Kaniva News reported last month, he also recommended further training for prosecutors, to be led by Supreme Court Justice Paul Garlick KC.

The criticism was not an isolated judicial concern.

Tongan judges have previously criticised prosecutors over failures including not calling important witnesses, problems presenting defendants’ criminal histories, unexplained discrepancies in drug evidence and failures to follow proper procedures.

In one serious armed-robbery case, former Justice Charles Cato described the prosecution’s handling of the matter as an “unacceptable litany of error”.

A Tongan missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made a heartbreaking final journey home after reportedly dying while serving his mission in Africa.

The missionary, identified as Elder Vave, was returned home in a coffin, with his death prompting an outpouring of condolences and tributes from Latter-day Saints and others around the world.

A moving account of his return, shared on social media by people including one who encountered the funeral procession while travelling home from work, contrasted Elder Vave’s homecoming with the joyful airport reunions normally experienced by missionaries after completing their service.

For many Latter-day Saint families, the return of a missionary is a long-awaited occasion, with parents, siblings and relatives gathering at the airport to welcome them home after an extended period of service.

But Elder Vave’s return was profoundly different.

Instead of walking through the airport to embrace the family waiting for him, his body arrived in a coffin.

“Elder Vave is returning home, but he will not be hugging his family,” the tribute said.

The writer reflected on another poignant difference between Elder Vave’s return and that of missionaries who complete their service — the missionary name badge.

Ordinarily, missionaries are formally released from their calling after returning home and remove the name badge that has identified them throughout their full-time service.

In Elder Vave’s case, the tribute said he would be laid to rest still bearing the title by which he was known during his mission.

“He will be buried with his Missionary pin, and when they speak of him he will continue with his title as Elder Vave,” the tribute said.

The writer described his death through the Latter-day Saint belief that his missionary service would continue beyond this life, turning what would normally have been the celebration of a completed mission into an emotional final homecoming.

Tributes flow from around the world

Tributes and messages of sympathy have poured in from Latter-day Saints and others around the world following news of Elder Vave’s death.

Among those responding was a mother whose son is serving in the same country, although in a different mission. She said she had heard about Elder Vave’s death more than two weeks earlier and understood he had been only about two weeks away from returning home.

“It breaks my heart for his family,” she wrote.

The news also resonated deeply with former missionaries, with one describing Elder Vave’s story as “emotional and moving” as he recalled the close bonds he had formed with his own missionary companions. He called on people to pray for Elder Vave’s family and loved ones as they cope with their loss.

Many of the messages reflected the Latter-day Saint belief that death had not brought Elder Vave’s missionary calling to an end.

“His mission continues on the other side of the veil,” one tribute read.

For one mother, the story brought back painful memories of losing her own missionary son.

She said her son died while serving in the Lae Mission in Papua New Guinea in 2015, with six months of his mission remaining. Elder Vave’s story had brought her to tears, she said, before offering a poignant farewell: “Safe journey home.”

Other messages offered prayers and condolences to Elder Vave’s family, friends and missionary companions, with several expressing the belief that he would continue his missionary service after death.

Details surrounding Elder Vave’s death, including the country in Africa where he had been serving and the circumstances of his death, were not immediately available.

Further details are being sought.