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Photo: Bill Toledo, Frank G. Willetto and Keith Little, Navajo Code Talkers, were among the Iwo Jima veterans honored Feb. 19, 2010, at a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. The Navajo nation has been targeted by ICE agents and accused of being illegal aliens, From U.S. Marine Corps, Wikimedia Commons
by Dr. Joanna Rose Benavídez, L.P., H.S.P., (USAF Ret.)
As a Latine-Indigenous person, I find myself grappling with a profound sense of outrage and disbelief as I report on the latest chapter in our nation’s troubled history with its Indigenous peoples. In a cruel twist of fate, the very descendants of this land’s original inhabitants are now being targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a series of misguided raids that expose the deep-rooted racial profiling plaguing our immigration system.
The Navajo Nation, a sovereign territory spanning Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, has become ground zero for this unconscionable assault on Native American rights. At least 15 Indigenous individuals in Arizona and New Mexico have reported being stopped at their homes and workplaces, questioned or detained by federal law enforcement, and asked to produce proof of citizenship during immigration operations. The irony is palpable—those whose ancestors have walked this land for millennia are now being asked to justify their presence.
One particularly harrowing incident involved eight Navajo citizens who were detained for hours without access to communication with their families or tribes. Imagine the fear and humiliation of being treated as an outsider on your ancestral homeland, forced to prove your right to exist in a country built upon the very land your people have safeguarded for generations.
The shame our nation should feel is immeasurable. We, the Latine-Indigenous people, products of complex histories and identities, are now witnessing the continuation of erasure through misguided immigration policies. How can we claim to be a nation of immigrants while simultaneously persecuting those who have the deepest roots in this soil?
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren’s words resonate with a painful truth: “My office has received multiple reports from Navajo citizens that they have had negative, and sometimes traumatizing, experiences with federal agents targeting undocumented immigrants in the Southwest.” These experiences are not merely inconveniences; they are wounds inflicted upon the collective psyche of a people who have already endured centuries of displacement and marginalization.
As a Latine-Indigenous person, I feel the weight of this injustice acutely. Our heritage is a testament to the complex history of this continent, but it should never be used as a tool to further marginalize Indigenous communities. The fact that Native Americans are being mistaken for undocumented immigrants speaks volumes about the pervasive stereotypes and racial profiling that continue to plague our society.
The Navajo Nation’s response to this crisis is both heartbreaking and infuriating. They have been forced to issue guidance advising their members to carry state-issued identification or Certificates of Indian Blood when interacting with federal authorities. It is a stark reminder of the “papers, please” mentality that has no place in a just society, let alone one that owes its very existence to the land and resources of Indigenous peoples.
As we grapple with this shameful reality, we must ask ourselves: What does it say about our nation when the original stewards of this land are treated with suspicion and hostility? How can we reconcile our ideals of freedom and justice with the traumatizing experiences inflicted upon Native communities by our own government agencies?
The time for change is long overdue. We must demand an immediate halt to these discriminatory practices and a comprehensive reevaluation of our immigration enforcement policies. The United States must recognize and respect the sovereignty of Native American nations and ensure that their citizens are never again subjected to the indignity of proving their right to exist on their ancestral lands.
As a Latine-Indigenous person, I call upon all Americans to reflect on this bitter irony and to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. We cannot allow the sins of our colonial past to continue haunting the present. It is time to honor the true spirit of this land and its original inhabitants, not through empty words, but through meaningful action and respect for Native American sovereignty.
The shame of these ICE raids should serve as a wake-up call to our collective conscience. We must do better. We must be better. For the sake of justice, for the sake of our shared humanity, and for the sake of honoring the true spirit of this land we all call home.
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