Gangsters in Paradise: The Deportees of Tonga

“"It ain't a place to live when you're barely making ends meet. It's like crabs being stuck in a bucket, scratching, trying to get out."”

Tonga is now home to hundreds of deportees — permanent residents of New Zealand, Australia or the United States who committed serious crimes and did jailtime, then were put on a plane to start a new life in an unfamiliar culture. The lucky ones have family land, or a place to stay. But many start from scratch and without institutional support, old bad habits can kick in.