Navajo, San Juan County leaders extend accord bolstering voting access
San Juan County and Navajo Nation leaders have agreed to extend an agreement meant to help assure voting access for Navajo residents.
The agreement, stemming from a 2016 lawsuit filed by the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission against the county, extends a prior accord that expired after the November 2024 general elections. Notably, the accord calls for creation of three language-assistance locations and polling places within Navajo Nation land in San Juan County, pre-election advertising in the Navajo language, Diné Bizaad, and employment of Navajo interpreters to aid in the election outreach.
'This settlement affirms a fundamental truth — the voices of Navajo voters in San Juan County matter. We are dedicated to making sure the ballot box remains open and accessible to Navajo language speakers today, tomorrow and every day after that,' said Abby Cook, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, which helped represent the Navajo Nation.
The Navajo Nation is spread across southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, but the settlement agreement applies to the Utah portion of the reservation. According to 2024 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, 46.5% of the county's 14,601 residents are American Indians or Alaska Natives.
The original 2016 lawsuit stemmed from the move in Utah in 2014 to mail-in balloting and concerns the change disenfranchised Navajo voters, in part due to unreliable postal service in Navajo Nation territory. The first settlement agreement resolving the dispute was executed in 2018, the second was finalized in 2021, and the new one, extending the varied provisions through the 2028 general election cycle, was inked last week. The San Juan County Clerk's Office is the main county party in the matter.
The new accord, filed in U.S. District Court in Utah, says the goal of those involved is 'to continue to achieve, if possible, a larger turnout by Navajo voters in future elections.' The language assistance, it reads, has 'produced some noteworthy results,' including turnout by voters on the Navajo reservation of 89.07%, which compared to overall Utah voter turnout that year of 90.09%.
Per the agreement, voting information centers will be created in the run up to elections in Montezuma Creek, Navajo Mountain and Monument Valley. 'Each center will be staffed with a trained Navajo language interpreter, offering services including voter registration, ballot replacement, and language assistance,' reads an ACLU press release.
Additionally, election information will be provided in Diné Bizaad, on local radio stations and newspapers.
'All eligible voters have a right to full and equal voting access without barriers, including the right to read and understand their ballot and voting resources,' said Aaron Welcher, spokesman for the ACLU of Utah.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
ICE raids: What are your rights when approached by an immigration officer?
(NEXSTAR) – Arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have rapidly escalated under President Trump. The White House said Monday ICE officers have arrested more than 100,000 people in the less than five months since Trump took office, compared to 113,000 in the entire 2024 fiscal year. Civil rights advocates remind immigrants and others that they have rights under the law if they encounter ICE officers or are caught up in an ICE raid. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says if you're stopped by ICE officers, you have the right to remain silent. 'You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, whether you are a U.S. citizen, or how you entered the country,' the ACLU says, though they acknowledge different rules apply at borders and airports. You also don't need to consent to a search of your belongings. You may be patted down if officers suspect you could have a weapon, the ACLU says. ACLU's Northern California chapter gives these quick tips to keep in mind: You can reiterate your desire to remain silent and speak to a lawyer. While the government doesn't have to provide you with a lawyer in these cases, you can ask for a list of free or low-cost legal representation. 'Don't say anything, sign anything, or make any decisions without a lawyer,' the ACLU advises. You also have the right to a local phone call if you are detained. The ACLU advises people to stay calm, don't resist and don't give officers fake documents. People can prepare by memorizing the phone numbers of loved ones and their lawyer, and make emergency contingency plans if they have children that need to be cared for or medications they need to take. Monday was the fourth day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the Los Angeles region. The protests started after federal agents arrested immigrants in LA's fashion district, in a Home Depot parking lot and at several other locations on Friday. The next day, they were staging at a Department of Homeland Security office near another Home Depot in Paramount, which drew out protesters who suspected another raid. Federal authorities later said there was no enforcement activity at that Home Depot. Tensions escalated Sunday into Monday after Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, as demonstrators blocked off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to control the crowd. On Monday, hundreds of U.S. Marines were also being mobilized to Los Angeles. Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the move on social media, saying, 'U.S. Marines have served honorably across multiple wars in defense of democracy. They are heroes. They shouldn't be deployed on American soil, facing their own countrymen to fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President. This is un-American.' California officials have now sued to roll back the National Guard deployment, saying the president trampled on the state's sovereignty. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
Trump admin may not deport migrant to Congo during immigration proceedings, federal judge rules
A federal judge in Maine has ruled that a 43-year-old migrant man who came to the U.S. at age 7 cannot yet be deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) while his immigration appeals continue. Eyidi Ambila, who was taken into custody in September under the Biden administration, argues that his full immigration case has not been heard and that his continued detention is unlawful. Judge Nancy Torresen on Monday granted a motion to postpone a scheduled habeas hearing, a legal request asking a court to determine whether a person's detention or imprisonment is lawful. The habeas petition challenges the legality of his ongoing detention, not the deportation itself. Torresen, a President Barack Obama appointee and the first female judge to serve in the District of Maine, wrote that there are "many unanswered questions" about the case, including about his ability to be deported and the outcome of his immigration case. He will remain in custody while his case proceeds. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine argues that Ambila has no current connection to the Congo and that deporting him would make him vulnerable to detainment, torture and even death. "This ruling ensures that Mr. Ambila receives what due process requires: his day in immigration court and the opportunity to fully pursue his argument for Convention Against Torture protection," said Anahita Sotoohi, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Maine. The ACLU of Maine filed a habeas corpus petition on Ambila's behalf last month challenging his indefinite ICE detainment and asking for his release. The government argued that Ambila's deportation was imminent, but Torreson said that the government had failed to convince the court that deportation was actually likely in the near future. Ambila has filed emergency motions with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) seeking to reopen his case and halt removal. Torresen's ruling pauses the federal court proceedings until the BIA rules on those motions.

Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Judge says man held by ICE at Cumberland County Jail to stay in US pending deportation appeal
Jun. 9—A federal judge in Portland has paused a Maine resident's challenge against his immigration detention while the nation's highest immigration court considers his request for protection under the Convention Against Torture as a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eyidi Ambila, 44, has been in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since September when he finished serving a criminal sentence for two misdemeanors. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine filed a habeas corpus petition on Ambila's behalf on May 23, arguing his detention at the Cumberland County Jail was unlawful because the ACLU didn't believe ICE was able to deport him. An attorney for the Department of Justice recently said they've had the paperwork since March to deport Ambila, who they said was confirmed for a flight to the DRC before a federal judge temporarily halted the removal process on May 27. "The DRC is ready and willing to accept him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Lizotte wrote in court records. "It has issued travel documentation to that effect." Ambila's attorneys have said they are not swayed that those temporary travel papers — which expire in September — were enough. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen ruled that Ambila's habeas corpus case — and his removal — will remain on pause while the Board of Immigration Appeals considers his larger request for protection under the United Nations' Convention Against Torture, which prevents the U.S. from sending people to places where they would suffer torture. Ambila is represented in that court by lawyers at the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic through the University of Maine School of Law. The attorneys said Ambila is entitled to protection "because it is more likely than not that he will be tortured or killed" due to his status as a "deportee from the U.S. with a criminal record who has spent decades outside of the country," according to filings provided by the ACLU. Ambila was 7 years old when he arrived in the United States with his sister and father, the latter of whom was tortured in the DRC as a result of his political activities, according to the filing. After coming to the United States, Ambila's grandfather was "brutally murdered by poisoning as a result of his political beliefs," the filing states. He and his family were granted asylum based on political persecution. His lawyers say he has spent most of the last three decades in Maine and Massachusetts. The Department of Homeland Security issued a final order of removal against Ambila in 2007 for a felony conviction in 2005. Yet he has legally remained in the United States under an order of supervision requiring him to report regularly to ICE. He was also required to apply for the appropriate travel permission from the DRC, the ACLU said, but was always denied because that country hasn't recognized his citizenship. Ambila's legal team wrote in court records that they were concerned by the temporary status of the embassy travel papers and his lack of citizenship. Coupled with existing conflict in the DRC and his years away, they wrote that Ambila "is likely to face torture by government officials or by violent non-state actors to whom the government turns a blind eye if returned to the DRC." "Not only has the DRC government failed to prevent torture by non-state actors, the government itself arbitrarily arrests, detains, and tortures vulnerable people and those perceived as a threat to the government," the lawyers said. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less