Native Americans in New Mexico are receiving bipartisan help through the establishment of tip lines after reports of them being targeted by immigration.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said on social media that Navajos are fearful and suffering from “significant anxiety” caused by ICE raids in Albuquerque, Phoenix and border areas throughout the reservation.
His office set up Operation Rainbow Bridge, which is a program to educated Native Americans should they be approached by an ICE agent. It also has a tip line to field calls on the issue.
According to the Operation Rainbow Bridge website the tribe investigated claims of Navajo citizens being questioned in immigration sweeps.
“Not one report was confirmed or substantiated,” the website states.
However, the New Mexico Congressional Delegation in a letter dated Jan. 28 to President Donald Trump shared the particulars of a confirmed incident in which “an ICE agent stopped a New Mexico tribal government citizen at a convenience store and questioned the individual’s citizenship status.”
The letter further states that “the individual showed the ICE agent a picture of their tribal identification and New Mexico driver's license.”
The letter refers to ICE questioning Native Americans as “racial profiling,” and it requests Trump direct ICE agents to accept tribal identification as proof of citizenship.
Nygren addressed the importance of Navajos carrying their state-issued identification cards and picture identification.
“Having your state ID is crucial, and if you possess a CIB, it can provide an additional layer of reassurance,” Nygren said.
The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 was enacted by the U.S. Congress on June 2, 1924, and it declared that “all noncitizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States.”
Nygren said he has worked with other tribal leaders and sought the help of “the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, state and federal Senate and House representatives, and the office of the governors for Arizona and New Mexico.”
Senate Republicans in the New Mexico Legislature answered Nygren’s concerns by establishing an email tip line on Jan. 31, and stating in a news release that they are “alarmed by concerns being raised by our Native American citizens that they either have been or could be wrongfully targeted by these efforts (ICE raids).”
“We understand that these federal operations may have caused fear among some New Mexico populations, particularly Native Americans,” said Sen. Bill Sharer, R-Farmington. “But we remain committed to protecting the rights and safety of all New Mexicans, and we invite concerned individuals to notify us via our new email tip line about incidents in which citizens or legal residents are subjected to undue scrutiny by immigration officials.”
The New Mexico Delegation demanded ICE “stop harassing Native Americans and violating Tribal sovereignty.”
The delegation added that “Native communities are quintessentially American communities.”
The delegation spoke out against the spreading of “fear in communities that have existed since time immemorial. It is unconscionable to question their citizenship and cause them to live in fear,” the letter stated.
Sharer stated that New Mexico Republicans support President Donald Trump’s efforts to remove “violent criminals who are here illegally,” but they also want to “help protect law-abiding New Mexicans.”
Nygren is asking “individuals to remain calm and assured that our collaborative efforts with local, state, and federal law enforcement are ongoing to ensure community safety.”
Reports can be made to the Operation Rainbow Bridge tip line by calling, (855) 435-7672 or emailing: info@operationrainbowbridge.com.
Reports can be sent to New Mexico Republican leadership through email at senate.minority@nmlegis.gov.
