Immigration Sweeps Unsettle Indigenous Peoples

The nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration has local tribal members worried for their own safety. Get your Bandersnatch costumes ready. Burros in Wonderland is this year’s theme for the sixth annual BurroFest in Mancos. And the Mancos Public Library has rescheduled its community read this month. You’re watching the Montezuma Roundup, brought to you by Hospice of Montezuma and Choice Building Supply. I’m Connor Shreve. As the Trump administration ramps up its efforts to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, tribal members across the southwest are concerned that US immigration and customs enforcement officers will sweep them up in their raids. In a statement released on January 27th, Ute Mountain Ute tribal chairman Manuel Heart acknowledged the fear that tribal members have expressed in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown. And he urged tribal members locally to assert their rights as lawful citizens of the US.

But in the mix of it, they’re looking at us as all being non-citizens of this country. Today, United Nations and sovereign political governments recognized by treaties with the United States, and we are recognized in the United States Constitution. We are recognized with inherent tribal rights to self-government. We are protected under Article VI and Amendment 14, section one and two in the United States Constitution as citizens of the United States.

Heart says the tribal council will monitor Trump’s immigration actions closely and will develop a plan to protect tribal members from the illegal arrests. In the meantime, Heart urged tribal members to carry at least two forms of identification, including a tribal membership card, a driver’s license or state ID, or a birth certificate. If approached by ICE officers, tribal members should cooperate politely, but also should request to see a legally signed warrant before officers search their vehicles or homes. Heart adds that tribal members should assert their right to legal representation if they are mistakenly arrested as an illegal immigrant.

Knowing your rights as the citizens of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe and of the United States.

You can view Chairman Heart’s statement on YouTube or learn more on the tribe’s website. The sixth annual BurroFest is on Saturday, June 21st, in Mancos. The Mancos Creative District sponsors the event in celebration of the burro’s role in settling the West. The hardy pack animal also makes for a downright cute subject for paintings and other works of art as famed western artist Veryl Goodnight can attest. Goodnight, a Mancos area resident and owner of the Veryl Goodnight Studio in downtown Mancos, is founder of BurroFest. This year’s theme is Burrows in Wonderland, a nod to Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.” The event features a burro parade, a burro obstacle course contest, and a burro artist collaboration, during which artists work with burro models to create paintings, sculptures, or other works of art. An artist and food vendor market will be open all day in Boyle Park. BurroFest events also include kid games, live music, and prizes awarded in a series of raffles held throughout the day. Deadline for burro registration, artist and food vendor applications is March 1st. The event also welcomes sponsors. To learn more, visit burrofest.com. The Mancos Public Library’s Community Read event will be on February 22nd, rather than February 15th as originally scheduled. The discussion of this year’s book, “What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing” by Dr. Bruce Perry will be from one to 3:00 PM at the library. The book focuses on scientific and emotional insights into social and behavioral patterns that cause trauma in individuals and in communities worldwide. Learn more at mancoslibrary.org. That’s it for this week’s Montezuma Roundup. To learn more about these and other stories, visit montezumalocal.news. I’m Connor Shreve.