Home hit twice for overstayers

By ANGELA GREGORY

A Tongan overstayer walked right into the hands of immigration officers when he went to visit his mate at a Mangere house.

The Immigration Service was at the South Auckland address to see if another overstayer who fled the property on Wednesday night had returned. The 19-year-old who evaded them was one of the 14 Tongan rugby players who outstayed their welcome after touring New Zealand last September.

Immigration Service spokeswoman Kathryn O'Sullivan said the officers went back yesterday morning to see if he had returned.

While they were there, another overstayer, not one of the rugby team, came in and was apprehended.

"He got quite a surprise."

Ms O'Sullivan said the service had now sent back three of the 14 rugby team overstayers.

Almost half the team did not turn up when the 30-strong squad checked in for their flight home, and they were declared overstayers in October.

A woman at the Mangere address, Siosiana Alele, told the Herald she knew nothing of the overstayers.

She said she lived there with her husband, his parents, and their children and had been in Hamilton when the police arrived on Wednesday.

Her neighbour, Philippa Muir, said she had seen the non-English speaking young man at the property for a few months.

Immigration officials said the teenager, who had been hiding in the kitchen, jumped three fences to evade them.