US Citizens Are Being Told To Carry Birth Certificates Amid ICE Raids
United States citizens, including Native Americans, are being warned to carry ID with them after reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers questioning and detaining people this week.
One such warning came from the Navajo Nation President, Buu Nygren, in Arizona, following reports that some residents had been approached by officials.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE for comment via email Friday morning.
Why It Matters
With President Donald Trump's plan to ramp up deportations of illegal immigrants, ICE and DHS will likely come under increased scrutiny in the coming weeks and months as they seek to show force when it comes to immigration enforcement. Any overstepping could result in legal action against the agencies.
Americans largely support his mass deportation plans. A New York Times/Ipsos poll, carried out from January 2 to 10, found 55 percent of voters strongly or somewhat supported such plans. Eighty-eight percent supported "Deporting immigrants who are here illegally and have criminal records." Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the immigration system is broken.
What To Know
Nygren's post on Facebook Wednesday came a day before ICE carried out a raid in Newark, New Jersey, in which a U.S. veteran was reportedly detained by officials, along with some American citizens.
According to the tribal leader in Arizona, there had been "several concerns and unconfirmed reports" that immigration officials had detained Diné people in urban areas.
"My office is looking into this matter and will provide updates as they come," he said in the post. "I am working actively with our state leaders and law enforcement to protect our Diné people."
The leader said citizens should carry their certificate of Indian birth, their state ID or driver's license, or other forms of identification in case officials stopped them. The message reflected advice from the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), with both organizations adding that those detained by ICE had the right to access an attorney and the right to remain silent.
Matthew Fletcher, a professor at the University of Michigan who focuses on federal Indian law, told Newsweek that many tribal citizens in rural areas do not have any form of I.D. proving their citizenship. For those who do, ICE agents are not always familiar with their documents, he said.
Since the election in November, immigration advocacy groups have been trying to prepare communities for potential increases in immigration enforcement, including courses and classes on immigrants' rights. Warnings of racial profiling have also been issued by groups and experts, with concerns those with legal status or citizenship could be accidentally targeted.
The detention of American citizens by immigration enforcement is not new. In 2021, the Government Accountability Office reported that ICE may have deported as many as 70 between 2015 and 2020, while 674 were arrested.
In 2021, civil rights groups in California sued ICE for arresting Brian Bukle, a Black man living in Riverside County, who had been a U.S. citizen for 50 years. The state's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation wrongly reported him for deportation to ICE, who detained him for 36 days before his citizenship was acknowledged. The case led to a $150,000 payout.
The Trump administration has promised to carry out the President's mass deportation plans, already touting hundreds of detentions and some deportation flights in recent days. Numbers given by ICE were similar to those seen in the last few months of the Biden administration, while deportation flights are also a regular occurrence.
What People Are Saying
Fletcher told Newsweek: "Indigenous people in the southwest should absolutely be on their guard. There are many mixed-race brown people there who are Indigenous and tribal citizens. I get the sense that ICE is engaged in a massively overbroad initiative right now on purpose, a shock and awe policy, that will sweep in many American citizens."
NIJC executive director Mary Meg McCarthy said in a statement on Monday: "NIJC and allies across the country will be fighting back. We will continue to work to extend access to legal counsel to as many people as possible, defend rule of law and due process by challenging illegal policies in federal court and defending law that holds the federal government accountable, and never lose sight that our communities are stronger when we welcome immigrants and ensure access to justice for all."
New Jersey Democratic Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, on the raid in Newark, said on X:
"It doesn't matter if you're a citizen who served our country in uniform, you too can be stopped without a warning or a warrant and shaken down for your papers … There is nobody in this country who should be subjected to a warrantless search. No federal agent has the authority to stop and harass any passerby without cause."
What Happens Next
While sanctuary cities and states have continued to promise to support undocumented migrants who have not committed any other crimes, it is expected that ICE will conduct raids in these communities in the coming days and weeks.
The White House will look to put out a strong message that it is delivering on Trump's promises, already having been more vocal on enforcement actions taking place.