Why Do People Migrate? (Monalisa Tuitahi)

In this video, Monalisa Salakielu Tu’itahi highlights the current humanitarian crisis where millions of immigrants, including families and children, are fleeing violence, poverty, and political instability—often worsened by U.S. foreign policies and global inequities.

Drawing on her own migration story from Tonga and encounters with asylum seekers like Juan and Julietta, the speaker underscores how migration is driven by a quest for life, dignity, and hope. Yet, instead of compassion, migrants are often met with militarized borders and dehumanization. The speaker tells followers of Christ that resistance to oppression is not optional but central to faith by: reminding the Church of its call to resist this evil, reclaiming its identity as God’s people, and actively opposing injustice in whatever forms they present themselves.