Trump Questions Native Peoples’ Birthright Citizenship
Actions are “Unconstitutional” and “A Continued Attack on Sovereign Nations”
The Trump administration has challenged the birthright citizenship of Native peoples in Court. The following statement is from Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance and NOA Action Fund:
The actions by the Trump administration to challenge the birthright citizenship of Native Americans is outrageous and unconstitutional.
This is a continued attack by this administration on sovereign nations. During his first term, Trump repeatedly took actions to attempt to diminish Tribal sovereignty and our inherent right to make decisions affecting the welfare of our people and the health of our lands, waters, and natural resources. During the campaign, his running mate called Indigenous Peoples Day a ‘fake holiday’ and mocked our two-spirit relatives.
This is another racist attack on Native peoples who are the original inhabitants of this country and who pay taxes and serve in the military at a higher rate than any other demographic and have served in every war since the American Revolution.
Over the past several years, we have reclaimed our power in Indian Country and made huge gains in protecting our people and our sacred, ancestral lands. Due to the actions of Native organizers and Tribal nations, we fought for and won greater representation at all levels of government. We fought for the appointment of Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior. We have also made gains at the polls. In 2020, we worked on the ground in key states to drive the largest Native voter turnout in history.
We will not be bullied by an administration that seeks to diminish our rights as American citizens. We are mobilized and ready for any fight ahead.
President Biden: Preserve sacred land, designate the Kw’tsán National Monument now
Advocating for setting aside more than 390,000 acres currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe hopes to create legal protections that, along with responsible federal stewardship practices, will preserve the land and wildlife forever.
As original stewards of these sacred landscapes, the Tribe’s “culture is rooted in the air and the soil,” explains Donald Medart Jr., Quechan Tribal Councilman. He says: “These are the places we will continue to take our children and grandchildren to learn about who we are as a people — these are places that do not recognize boundaries on a map and are connected by history and our stories.”
Climate change has led to extreme drought, and the unsustainable extraction of water from the Colorado River has combined to upend and destabilize the ecosystem. Meanwhile, the land is threatened every day by mining exploration, stolen natural resources, and harmful development.
The water flowing through the Haquita, also known as the Colorado River, is crucial for the health of the region’s complex overlapping ecosystems, which the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe has managed sustainably for generations. Indigenous traditions can rectify the federal government’s past land and water management practices that have harmed these sacred landscapes.
The proposed Kw’tsán National Monument connects Spirit Mountain, Palo Verde Peak, the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, and Buzzards Peak, incorporating the Indian Pass Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The Bureau of Land Management has already identified these areas as “public land that requires special management to protect important resources or unique landscapes, or to protect people and property from hazards.”
The value of caring for ancestral homelands runs deep in Quechan culture and philosophy. As they explain, “Our ancestors gifted us the role as caretakers of Mother Earth, and the responsibility to protect all living beings of the natural world.”
The mountains in the region include Avikwalal (Pilot Knob), Avi Kwa Ame (Spirit Mountain) and Avi Kwa Suen (Cargo Muchachos). Among the area’s sacred artifacts and cultural history are the Singer Geoglyphs, ancient symbols etched directly into the ground.
When the land is properly managed, many endangered species thrive in this region. From roadrunners, tortoises, and quail to jackrabbits, foxes, snakes, and coyotes, Native peoples share this space with many non-human relatives.
The diversity of flowers and plants is another living example of a thriving community that must be treated with respect. From the agave, saguaro, and mesquite to milkweed, sunflower, Devil’s Claw, and Foxtail Cactus, as the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe says, “We are connected to the air, land, plants, insects, and four-leggeds that share our home.”
All public lands are on Indigenous homelands. As the original stewards and guardians of their homelands, the Quechan People have been asking the Biden administration to act to ensure they can continue protecting their rich heritage.
It’s time for President Biden to use the authority granted by the Antiquities Act to designate Kw’tsán National Monument.
A Reflection on the May 2024 National Organizer Training
Last month I had the honor of joining the Native Organizers Alliance for the National Organizers Training in Federal Way, Washington which is the traditional land of the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Puyallup. I’ve worked for NOA since 2022 but the timing never aligned for me to join this five day long trip that weaves together principles that are vital for grassroots organizing with traditional values. Everything happens for a reason and I believe I was supposed to be a part of this cohort.
The organic connection between all of us as individuals was a beautiful thing. There was an understanding that we were all there for the same reason: to learn and grow so that we could return to our own communities with new tools that make our work more meaningful.
There is a good balance between the various modules that have been uniquely and intentionally curated by the NOA Training Team. Some topics were heavier than others, but each day started with prayer and ended with reflection. Most importantly: every participant is equally valued. We all brought a different perspective to the space which only added to the tapestry of the work we are involved in around Indian Country.
I am so grateful to have been a part of this May 2024 cohort. My experience was spiritually fulfilling and will impact the work I am involved in through NOA. And I can’t wait to see what everyone else in the cohort is up to over the years! Overall, I left the National Organizer Training with renewed hope.
A big thank you goes out to Judith and Robert, who are great examples of strength and humility, as well as the rest of the Training Team who took the time away from their families and communities. This experience is one I won’t forget.
Wado (thanks in Cherokee) for reading,
Shea Vassar Gomez
Contact the Interior Department about Bears Ears
As the first national monument proposed by a coalition of Tribal Nations, Bears Ears gained protections under the Obama administration but lost protections under the Trump administration.
The five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission (BEC) — Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Zuni Tribe — are among the many Tribal Nations with deep cultural connections to the entire Bears Ears landscape.
They helped win the reinstatement of protections under President Biden, who restored the original designation and re-established the BEC as collaborative managers of these sacred lands and waters.
In an unprecedented collaborative process, the BEC worked directly with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to develop a draft resource management plan for the monument, which has just been released — and it needs our support.
Alternative E was created from the input from over 90 community meetings which gathered input and concerns. As outlined in this newly released plan, Alternative E would set a new standard for sustainable management of public lands.
Specifically, Alternative E incorporates the most Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and TraditionalEcological Knowledge — both needed to balance public access with protecting the area’s cultural and natural resources. It would represent a sustainable collaboration that:
- Upholds the sovereignty of the Tribes and honors Indigenous peoples’ personal, traditional, and cultural connections to the land.
- Reflects time-tested best practices for land management passed down over centuries from the original, and ongoing, stewards of this land.
- Protects the habitat, wildlife, and resource biodiversity.
- Responsibly manages access and use of the Monument in a way that allows current and future visitors to recreate, hunt, and fish, while also responding to the needs and health of the land.
Our work together has already generated more than 63,000 comments in support of the plan, but that’s not enough to ensure its adoption before the final decision is made — and the deadline is fast approaching.
Together, we’re re-Indigenizing national parks and protecting sacred places across the country.
Hawwih (thank you) for supporting grassroots community-powered Tribal sovereignty.
