In Letter to Trump, Huffman, Leger Fernández, House and Senate Colleagues Demand a Stop to Unconscionable ICE Harassment of Native American Citizens

January 29, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Jared Huffman, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Congressman Melanie Stansbury, Congressman Gabe Vasquez, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari and Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding immediate action to address reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents harassing, detaining, and questioning Native American Tribal members about their citizenship. The Members condemned these actions as unconstitutional and a violation of Tribal sovereignty, calling for swift action to end racial profiling and protect Native communities.

In their letter, the Members highlighted a confirmed incident in New Mexico where an ICE agent harassed a Tribal citizen at a convenience store, questioning their citizenship.

“Native American Tribal members are United States citizens. Stopping people because of what they look like - with dark skin, Asian, Latino or Native American characteristics is never acceptable,” wrote the Members. “ICE’s dangerous behavior of harassing American citizens, seemingly only due to the way they look, is unconstitutional and un-American.”

They also raised alarm about additional reports of ICE agents targeting Native Americans in multiple states, saying, “Your administration’s actions and policies are quickly spreading fear in communities that have existed since time immemorial. It is unconscionable to question their citizenship and cause them to live in fear.”

The Members emphasized the historical and legal context, reminding the Administration that the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted citizenship to all Native Americans. “Native communities are quintessentially American communities.”

They called on the Trump administration to take immediate action to:

  • Direct ICE agents to stop harassing Native Americans and violating Tribal sovereignty.
  • Prevent racial profiling by ICE agents.
  • Require ICE to accept Tribal identification as proof of U.S. citizenship.
  • Explain the criteria used by ICE agents to stop and question Native Americans.

The Members also condemned President Trump’s recent statement suggesting that immigration enforcement should target people based on their appearance. “Your recent statement that you can tell an immigrant who is ‘trouble’ by the way they ‘look’ suggests that sending ICE agents after our communities is about the color of a person’s skin, not their immigration status,” the letter stated.

“It is unconscionable to question [Native Communities’] citizenship and cause them to live in fear,” wrote the Members. “You must put a stop to ICE agents targeting Native Americans.”

Read the letter HERE.

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