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Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
With reports of tribe members caught up in ICE crackdowns, leaders offer tips to stay safe
Tribal leaders in Wisconsin are warning tribal members to beware of ICE agents because of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, because there are reports of some U.S. citizens being detained. ICE is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency that operates independently of local and state police. 'During these uncertain times as the Administration continues with its immigration crackdown, we ask that all tribal members prepare for the possibility of being stopped, detained and questioned regarding your citizenship,' read a Jan. 29 letter from the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribal Council to tribal members. This comes after social media reports from tribal members who say they were briefly detained in some parts of the country in what appear to be cases of profiling. "Native Americans are being caught up in the raids and detained," the letter read. "ICE has already detained Native Americans in the Southwest and we need to be prepared here in Wisconsin." Some tribal members reported being detained for several hours closer to the border with Mexico. In Arizona, state and Navajo tribal officials responded to reports of Navajo tribal members being detained for hours by ICE agents and urged tribal members to carry their tribal IDs or Certificate of Indian Blood. Arizona State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie informed the Navajo Nation council about a tribal member who was detained despite showing Certificate of Indian Blood ICE agents failed to recognize it as valid proof of citizenship, according to a Navajo Nation press release as reported by the Arizona Republic. Stockbridge-Munsee tribal officials are urging tribal members to carry their tribal, state and/or federal IDs with them wherever they go and to remain respectful if they are stopped by ICE agents. 'The Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council is working diligently to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, and tribal members living on and off the reservation,' the letter said. 'We are in contact with our state and federal partners, attempting to resolve this matter on a broader scale while putting in place a safety net to assist tribal members who may need our help.' The Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation is located adjacent to the southwest side of the Menominee Reservation in northeast Wisconsin around Bowler. Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer is looking to create "tribally enhanced identification cards" with the Department of Homeland Security that are easily recognizable to ICE agents. "Identity verification is a concern among members of federally recognized tribes causing a lot of anxiety for Indigenous families," he said in a statement. "As a result and as a responsibility of our Ho-Chunk Nation to ensure and provide for health, safety and welfare of each of our tribal member, we are undertaking steps to assist in preventing unnecessary detention and/or questioning related to identity verification and validation." Greendeer issued an executive order on Jan. 30 to waive the fee for tribal IDs for tribal members starting Feb. 3 and created a program to reimburse tribal members who obtain their passports. Menominee Nation officials said they also are making tribal IDs or certificates of Indian blood free for tribal members who don't have them in response to reports of ICE agents detaining Indigenous people around the country. "The Tribe will be ready to confirm the identity of our tribal members and descendants if ever contacted by ICE," read a letter to tribal members from Chairwoman Gena Kakkak's office. Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe officials reported there have not been incidents involving ICE agents on the tribe's 86,000-acre reservation in northern Wisconsin as of Jan. 30. "However, given the recent enforcement actions affecting other tribal nations, we urge our members to remain cautious," read a statement to tribal members. "We remain committed to ensuring the sovereignty of our nation and the well-being of all those who reside here." They are urging tribal members to report any suspicious activity involving ICE agents on the reservation to tribal police. America's first peoples won U.S. citizenship in 1924, but have had to fight for full rights, including voting, in many places ever since. One executive order being scrutinized by tribal officials across the country is the ending of "birthright citizenship," which has since been blocked by a federal judge for being unconstitutional. Several news outlets have reported that Trump's Department of Justice attorneys were questioning whether Native Americans could be considering U.S. citizens, according to a 19th-century law that excludes Indigenous peoples from birthright citizenship. Sign up for the First Nations Wisconsin newsletter Click here to get all of our Indigenous news coverage right in your inbox Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Indigenous leaders warn tribes about getting caught up in ICE raids
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
With reports of tribe members caught up in ICE crackdowns, leaders offer tips to stay safe
With reports of tribe members caught up in ICE crackdowns, leaders offer tips to stay safe Tribal leaders in Wisconsin are warning tribal members to beware of ICE agents because of President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, because there are reports of some U.S. citizens being detained. ICE is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency that operates independently of local and state police. 'During these uncertain times as the Administration continues with its immigration crackdown, we ask that all tribal members prepare for the possibility of being stopped, detained and questioned regarding your citizenship,' read a Jan. 29 letter from the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Tribal Council to tribal members. This comes after social media reports from tribal members who say they were briefly detained in some parts of the country in what appear to be cases of profiling. "Native Americans are being caught up in the raids and detained," the letter read. "ICE has already detained Native Americans in the Southwest and we need to be prepared here in Wisconsin." Some tribal members reported being detained for several hours closer to the border with Mexico. In Arizona, state and Navajo tribal officials responded to reports of Navajo tribal members being detained for hours by ICE agents and urged tribal members to carry their tribal IDs or Certificate of Indian Blood. Arizona State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie informed the Navajo Nation council about a tribal member who was detained despite showing Certificate of Indian Blood ICE agents failed to recognize it as valid proof of citizenship, according to a Navajo Nation press release as reported by the Arizona Republic. Stockbridge-Munsee tribal officials are urging tribal members to carry their tribal, state and/or federal IDs with them wherever they go and to remain respectful if they are stopped by ICE agents. 'The Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council is working diligently to ensure the safety and security of its citizens, and tribal members living on and off the reservation,' the letter said. 'We are in contact with our state and federal partners, attempting to resolve this matter on a broader scale while putting in place a safety net to assist tribal members who may need our help.' The Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation is located adjacent to the southwest side of the Menominee Reservation in northeast Wisconsin around Bowler. Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer is looking to create "tribally enhanced identification cards" with the Department of Homeland Security that are easily recognizable to ICE agents. "Identity verification is a concern among members of federally recognized tribes causing a lot of anxiety for Indigenous families," he said in a statement. "As a result and as a responsibility of our Ho-Chunk Nation to ensure and provide for health, safety and welfare of each of our tribal member, we are undertaking steps to assist in preventing unnecessary detention and/or questioning related to identity verification and validation." Greendeer issued an executive order on Jan. 30 to waive the fee for tribal IDs for tribal members starting Feb. 3 and created a program to reimburse tribal members who obtain their passports. Menominee Nation officials said they also are making tribal IDs or certificates of Indian blood free for tribal members who don't have them in response to reports of ICE agents detaining Indigenous people around the country. "The Tribe will be ready to confirm the identity of our tribal members and descendants if ever contacted by ICE," read a letter to tribal members from Chairwoman Gena Kakkak's office. Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe officials reported there have not been incidents involving ICE agents on the tribe's 86,000-acre reservation in northern Wisconsin as of Jan. 30. "However, given the recent enforcement actions affecting other tribal nations, we urge our members to remain cautious," read a statement to tribal members. "We remain committed to ensuring the sovereignty of our nation and the well-being of all those who reside here." They are urging tribal members to report any suspicious activity involving ICE agents on the reservation to tribal police. America's first peoples won U.S. citizenship in 1924, but have had to fight for full rights, including voting, in many places ever since. One executive order being scrutinized by tribal officials across the country is the ending of "birthright citizenship," which has since been blocked by a federal judge for being unconstitutional. Several news outlets have reported that Trump's Department of Justice attorneys were questioning whether Native Americans could be considering U.S. citizens, according to a 19th century law that excludes Indigenous peoples from birthright citizenship. Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@ or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Fear and anxiety' as Navajo Nation members targeted in ICE operations
In the height of irony, members of the Navajo Nation are reportedly being swept up in federal raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even though they are the ultimate indigenous people of the country and legal U.S. citizens. 'Recent reports of negative interactions with federal immigration agents have raised concerns that have prompted fear and anxiety among our community members,' Navajo Nation president Dr. Buu Nygren wrote in a statement. 'Being Indigenous, being Navajo, you're more American than being American,' he added in a separate interview with Arizona Mirror. 'We got to have that respect from the federal government.' At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have been stopped and questioned or detained as part of federal immigration enforcement operations, Navajo Nation officials told CNN. Arizona state Senator Theresa Hatathlie, who is Diné/Navajo, told the outlet she received a report from a Navajo woman who reported that she and seven other Indigenous people were detained at a work site in Scottsdale, Arizona, and questioned for hours without their phones or any other way to contact their families or other officials. 'These raids have sparked significant fear, especially among tribal members in urban areas who face challenges with documentation,' the Navajo Nation said in a statement last week. 'Despite possessing Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who do not recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship,' the statement added. The Independent has contacted ICE for comment. The Trump administration is spreading fear in tribal communities across the country, after it began openly questioning indigenous people's citizenship status as part of its larger attempt to end birthright citizenship. It also recently confirmed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. Noem has had a contentious relationship with her state's tribes, many of whom banned her from accessing their territory after she accused tribal members of being absentee parents and in cahoots with drug cartels. Donald Trump's planned campaign of mass deportations has gotten off to a chaotic start. In New Jersey, a U.S. military veteran with documentation was reportedly detained by agents who didn't produce a warrant. As The Independent has reported, in Chicago, meanwhile, ICE agents arrived in unmarked black trucks, causing 'heightened anxiety and fear,' so much so Chicago school officials set off a false alarm that immigration officials were raiding an elementary school.
The Independent
28-01-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
‘Fear and anxiety' as Navajo Nation members targeted in ICE operations
In the height of irony, members of the Navajo Nation are reportedly being swept up in federal raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, even though they are the ultimate indigenous people of the country and legal U.S. citizens. 'Recent reports of negative interactions with federal immigration agents have raised concerns that have prompted fear and anxiety among our community members,' Navajo Nation president Dr. Buu Nygren wrote in a statement. 'Being Indigenous, being Navajo, you're more American than being American,' he added in a separate interview with Arizona Mirror. 'We got to have that respect from the federal government.' At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have been stopped and questioned or detained as part of federal immigration enforcement operations, Navajo Nation officials told CNN. Arizona state Senator Theresa Hatathlie, who is Diné/Navajo, told the outlet she received a report from a Navajo woman who reported that she and seven other Indigenous people were detained at a work site in Scottsdale, Arizona, and questioned for hours without their phones or any other way to contact their families or other officials. 'These raids have sparked significant fear, especially among tribal members in urban areas who face challenges with documentation,' the Navajo Nation said in a statement last week. 'Despite possessing Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who do not recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship,' the statement added. The Independent has contacted ICE for comment. The Trump administration is spreading fear in tribal communities across the country, after it began openly questioning indigenous people's citizenship status as part of its larger attempt to end birthright citizenship. It also recently confirmed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security. Noem has had a contentious relationship with her state's tribes, many of whom banned her from accessing their territory after she accused tribal members of being absentee parents and in cahoots with drug cartels. Donald Trump 's planned campaign of mass deportations has gotten off to a chaotic start. In New Jersey, a U.S. military veteran with documentation was reportedly detained by agents who didn't produce a warrant. As The Independent has reported, in Chicago, meanwhile, ICE agents arrived in unmarked black trucks, causing 'heightened anxiety and fear,' so much so Chicago school officials set off a false alarm that immigration officials were raiding an elementary school.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ICE raids are reportedly ensnaring Indigenous people, too
The Trump administration's anti-immigration raids appear to be ensnaring all sorts of legal residents in the United States. On Thursday, the 25th Navajo Nation Council addressed reports — including one from an Arizona state lawmaker — that members of their tribe had been swept up in the raids being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Arizona state Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, a Democrat, noted that many members of the tribe may lack federally recognized identification documents. The following day, the office of Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren issued a news release citing 'negative, sometimes traumatizing, experiences' among Navajos and advising tribal members to 'carry state-issued identification, such as a driver's license, other picture identification, or their Certificate of Indian blood, known as a CIB.' Essentially, that means Navajos are being encouraged to carry their 'freedom papers' to avoid harassment from Trump's immigration officials. This appears to be the kind of dubious profiling that activists feared Trump would unleash as president. And it's more than a little ironic that a crusade supposedly designed to make America great is harassing people who arguably have more right to be here — legally and morally — than just about anyone else. Nygren's news release said his office has been in contact with members of Congress and officials from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the governors of Arizona and Mexico. On Monday, CNN reported: At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico have reported being stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement and asked to produce proof of citizenship during immigration raids since Wednesday, according to Navajo Nation officials. These don't appear to be the only incidents of mistaken immigration status by ICE, and they won't be the last. Last week in Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka released a statement after an ICE raid in his city, saying that citizens — including a U.S. military veteran with military documentation — had been detained without the agents producing a warrant. 'This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment,' Baraka wrote. ICE, for what it's worth, essentially said such acts are simply the cost of doing business. 'U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual's identity,' the agency said in a statement. This article was originally published on
