EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – The vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affair committee and several Democratic colleagues are concerned Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are conducting unlawful searches and interrogations of tribal members.
Some of those trespasses that have allegedly taken place in southern New Mexico have sown “fear and panic” among tribal citizens on and off reservation lands, the lawmakers believe. Part of that is because of the current administration’s stance on doing away with birthright citizenship – an initiative currently paused by the courts.
“Whether it is simple ignorance or worse — outright disrespect for and harassment of tribal citizens — ICE’s law enforcement tactics reflect an abdication of U.S. trust and treaty responsibility with tribal nations and their citizens, and cannot stand,” the lawmakers headed by vice chair and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The letter states tribal members allegedly had run-ins with ICE agents during traffic stops, at immigration checkpoints, in public places and homes, resulting in the “detainment” of at least one U.S.-born tribal member.
The senators urged DHS to reach out to the tribes and issue clear guidance to federal agents on what forms of identification can be accepted as proof of U.S. citizenship when operating on tribal lands or dealing with tribal members.
The senators sent a lengthy query to Noem regarding the training ICE agents receive and to clarify whether the administration intends to honor tribal identification.
Border Report reached out to Heinrich’s office for specifics on alleged incidents in New Mexico involving tribal members. The senator’s staff said it has verified they have occurred, but declined to provide details due to respect for the individuals.
Border Report also reached out to ICE and is awaiting a response.
The Albuquerque Journal on Jan. 29 reported that Mescalero Apache officials confirmed that an ICE agent asked a tribal member, a woman, for her passport at a Ruidoso, New Mexico, grocery store.
The newspaper also reported that the Navajo Nation president said on a radio address his office has fielded reports of Navajos suffering “sometimes traumatizing experiences” with federal agents on the hunt for undocumented immigrants in the Southwestern United States.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-New Mexico, told the Journal she received reports of ICE agents questioning tribal members near Santo Domingo Pueblo, which lies between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
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