Navajo Nation Demands Recognition of Tribal IDs in ICE Operations
Navajo Nation officials are pressing U.S. immigration authorities to acknowledge tribal identification during enforcement actions, following the controversial detention of a Navajo citizen in Peoria by ICE officers.
Navajo Speaker Crystalyne Curley has advised tribal members residing in urban areas to always carry valid identification, such as a Real ID and Navajo Nation ID, to avoid wrongful detentions.
Curley remarked, “Profiling people based on their appearance is unacceptable, and we’re working hard to ensure that our citizens are informed and protected.” She emphasized that Navajo citizens should not have to endure fear or aggression from ICE personnel.
Reports indicate that on January 12, ICE officers apprehended Peter Yazzie at a gas station while he was en route to work. Yazzie claimed that his assertions of being a Native American were ignored by the officers, who dismissed his proof of U.S. citizenship, including his ID, social security card, and Certificate of Indian Blood. Yazzie recounted to the Arizona Republic that he was held for four hours and released without an apology.
Curley stressed the inherent rights of Indigenous people, saying, “Any enforcement action that disregards valid tribal identification places Navajo citizens at risk of wrongful questioning, detention or separation from their families.”
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren confirmed communication with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding Yazzie’s incident and urged tribal members to remain cautious and carry identification. He stated, “Native Americans are not immigrants in our own homelands. We are citizens of the United States and citizens of our sovereign tribal nations, and our rights must be respected.”
Nygren noted that ICE is not currently active on the Navajo Nation but promised to inform communities if the situation changes.
Protesters assembled in multiple Arizona communities, including Flagstaff and Prescott, as part of nationwide demonstrations after a federal immigration agent fatally shot a woman in Minnesota.
Following Yazzie’s detention, the Navajo Health Department reactivated an initiative to support tribal members affected by widespread sober living home schemes in Phoenix. Operation Rainbow Bridge has been expanded to address potential ICE detentions of Navajo citizens. The initiative’s hotline is available at (855) HELPORB or (855) 435-7672, and concerns can be emailed to info@operationrainbowbridge.com and yolanda.azua@navajo-nsn.gov.
Meanwhile, three Indigenous Arizona lawmakers have criticized Yazzie’s arrest, accusing the federal government of terrorizing communities. Democratic Representatives Brian Garcia, Mae Peshlakai, and Myron Tsosie stated that ICE agents show a disregard for the law and have no grounds to target Indigenous tribal members.
The representatives emphasized that such actions violate human rights and increase civil unrest. They wrote, “Peter Yazzie should never have been approached, but he was. He was carrying his tribal Identification and his birth certificate and should have been immediately released—with an apology—but he wasn’t.” They condemned the tactics used by ICE, which they argue undermine community safety.
ICE has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding Yazzie’s detention and the officials’ statements.
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