Tribal leaders across the country are preparing their members with information on what to do if they're approached by federal law enforcement officials, as the Trump administration scales up deportation efforts.
The guidance — for members to carry their tribal identification cards with them at all times and know their rights if approached — follows what tribal leaders call concerning encounters with immigration officials.
Tribal advocates said that a history of state and federal officials not understanding tribal documents poses a threat to members.
"The history of being misidentified is long," said Judith Le Blanc, executive director of the Native Organizers Alliance and a citizen of the Caddo Nation. "Our [U.S.] citizenship is so valuable to us, and we want to ensure that it is protected."
Le Blanc said that with the Trump administration tapping other law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration, for immigration duties, there is more room for distrust and confusion.
Reported incidents have tribal members on high alert
Just days after President Trump took office, reports began reaching tribal leaders in the Southwest about encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
While tribal leaders said several reports were unverified, a letter to Trump sent on Tuesday from Democrats from Arizona, New Mexico and California said one confirmed incident in a New Mexico convenience store is "spreading fear in communities that have existed since time immemorial."
The Democrats said that in the incident, an ICE officer questioned a Mescalero tribal member's citizenship even after being shown tribal identification.
The letter to Trump urges him to direct ICE to accept tribal IDs as proof of U.S. citizenship. ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
"It's never just been a random kind of thing to approach tribal members in some public place. It was usually really specifically targeted," said Mescalero Apache Tribal President Thora Walsh Padilla. "We're just concerned for our tribal members that somebody could be picked up not having all the necessary identification forms with them and who knows what could happen."
The Mescalero Apache and Navajo Nation both put out press releases urging tribal members to carry their tribal and other identification with them at all times.
The Navajo Nation office of the president said reports received concerning their members could not be confirmed or substantiated, still the president acknowledged increased fear in the community and set up a hotline for reporting federal law enforcement activity.
"Recent reports of negative interactions with federal immigration agents have raised concerns that have prompted fear and anxiety among our community members," said Navajo President Buu Nygren. "We encourage individuals to remain calm and assured that our collaborative efforts with local, state, and federal law enforcement are ongoing to ensure community safety."
Tribes across the country brace for encounters
Other tribes have put out similar statements, urging their members to always carry their identification cards. That includes the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone in Wyoming.
Last week, the Winnebago Tribal Council in Nebraska approved free tribal identification cards for all aged tribal members "as an effort to protect Tribal members of all ages from I.C.E."
In Utah, the Ute and Paiute tribes called on members to notify tribal leadership of any ICE activity on tribal land and detailed how to respond if they encounter immigration officials. The measures are all preventative, the statements said.
"There has been a recent federal response on illegal immigration in this country and those who are citizens may be improperly detained as part of these operations," wrote Hope Silvas, Paiute Indian Tribe chair. "There have been no reports of ICE presence or improper detentions in our area, but it is our priority to ensure the safety of all of our Tribal members."
After the election, Trump and immigration enforcement advisers said they would prioritize the arrests and deportation of public safety threats. However, they also warn that "collateral arrests" may also be made.
ICE's operations have gained increased attention over the last week, including one set of arrests that included American citizens in Newark, N.J.
"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, as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite in Newark, New Jersey," an ICE spokesperson told NPR about American citizens arrested during that operation.
While testifying before the Senate, new Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touted her relationship working with tribes as the governor of South Dakota. As governor, Noem had been banned from entering the lands of nine tribes in the state, though at least one tribe has since lifted that ban.
Still, with concerns about immigration enforcement, several South Dakota tribes are also among those temporarily waiving fees for tribal ID cards for their enrolled members.
Noem added that when it comes to the infrastructure of the southern U.S. border wall, there needs to be respect for tribal land.
Trump's border wall construction during his first term as president was criticized by border tribes such as the Tohono O'odham in Arizona for being built in the middle of sacred lands and ancestral burial grounds.
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