Pair of Ontario First Nations issue U.S. travel advisory due to potential ‘ICE tribal targeting’

Two local First Nations are warning their members to carry their documentation if crossing the U.S. border to due to ICE. Scott Miller reports.

Native Americans from Minnesota have been printing off their tribal identification so they had documentation in the event they are stopped by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

“Folks are being racially targeted and profiled right now for having dark hair, dark skin. So, it’s just an added layer of protection to have right now. Folks are walking around with birth certificates, passports, driver’s license, and a tribal ID is just an extra layer of protection,” explained Jessica Glidden of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

That fear has spread to Canada, where leaders with the Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, both in Bruce County, have put out U.S. travel advisories for their members.

“Because Indigenous peoples have, I think, a certain color to their skin, they’re being targeted by the United States of America Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said Acting Chief/Ogimaa Kwe for the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Jessica Keeshig-Martin.

“ICE has targeted tribal citizens, so it’s important to know your rights and have proper documentation,” explained Chief Conrad Ritchie of the Saugeen First Nation in a travel advisory issued to band members in late January.

Leaders with both Saugeen and Nawash are urging band members to carry their birth certificate, green card, passport, and even a letter of ancestry if they do travel south.

“We do have members that are making inquiries to our band office about these blood quantum letters which are a requirement of the United States for people to live and work there,” said Keeshig-Martin.

While Keeshig-Martin says she’s unaware of any of their band members being stopped by ICE, it has been a daily occurrence in places like Minnesota, say First Nations’ members there.

“We share the same identity as Mexican people or South American people because we share their DNA and their looks, you know. I’m light skinned, but there’s a lot of other folks that are a lot darker skinned, and they’ve been stopped and actually detained because they didn’t have papers,” explained Robert Rice, owner of Pow Wow Ground Coffee in Minnesota.

“We were the first peoples here. And it’s just crazy that our people are getting picked up, and thrown in a car, and brought out to some federal holding place. That’s sad,” added Crow Bellecourt, leader of the Indigenous Protector Movement in Minnesota.

Keeshig-Martin says Nawash’s U.S. travel advisory will remain in effect indefinitely.

“I don’t think we could have imagined this a few years ago, or several years ago. We’ve been seeing a lot of change happening in the United States with this new administration that’s putting more fear into our people,” said Keeshig-Martin.