An American Samoa judge says the territory needs a dedicated immigration detention centre as more people are being remanded in custody because of their immigration status.
Photo: 123rf
Samoa News reported that Judge Fiti Sunia made the call, after sending three defendants to custodial remand, for not meeting immigration requirements.
Three defendants who were facing minor charges, which usually do not require custodial orders, have been remanded in jail because of their illegal immigration status.
One defendant came to the territory on 1 November on a 14-day permit.
A second had immigration documents which expired in January 2017.
The third defendant told the court he was born in American Samoa but his mother is off-island and has all his documents.
