Posted on 08/11/2007 2:11:46 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
OMAHA, Neb. — A non-federally recognized American Indian tribe on Friday defended its recruiting of Hispanic illegal immigrants to the tribe under the promise that joining would keep the immigrants from being deported.
But advocates and federal officials condemned the practice as a scam, saying the group was defrauding people desperate to stay in the country of hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars while giving them false hope.
The complaints are reaching federal officials through community groups in several states.
In Texas, the attorney general's office has received five complaints from people who say they were recruited to join the Kaweah Indian Nation, Paco Felici, a spokesman for the attorney general, said Friday.
In Nebraska, the Mexican-American Commission posted a warning on its Web site and alerted churches and Spanish-speaking media after illegal immigrants in four Nebraska cities were approached with offers of membership to the tribe as a way to gain legal status in the United States, commission spokesman Angel Freytez said.
Freytez said advocates have heard similar stories from people in Kansas, California, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
"Anyone who is in the country illegally is not protected from the consequences of being in a country illegally by any document from this tribe," said Tim Counts, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "It won't work."
Multiple calls by The Associated Press to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior were not immediately returned Friday.
Marilu Cabrera, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said even if illegal immigrants were adopted into federally recognized tribes, it wouldn't be enough to establish legal residency.
For example, American Indians born in Canada must prove they have at least a 50 percent blood lineage to an American Indian tribe in order to establish legal residency here.
"You can't just decide to become a member of a tribe and all of a sudden legalize your status," Cabrera said.
But Manuel Urbina, high chief for Kaweah Indian Nation based in Wichita, Kan., said tribal membership documents have been enough to get illegal immigrants out of trouble when approached by federal agents.
"We are not going against the law, we're with the law," said Urbina, who said the tribe had recruited more than 10,000 illegal immigrants to the tribe.
He said selling entrance into the tribe for about $50 per person was "a godly thing."
But Freytez said some people reported paying much more to the tribe — up to $1,200.
Urbina said the tribe never charged that much.
Counts, the ICE spokesman, said he could not comment without about a specific instance.
A Florida man selling memberships to another purported tribe through a Web site said he had sold about 2,000 memberships and has a waiting list, but about 500 people have asked for refunds because of "adverse publicity."
"When they happen to be in a situation on a street or in a bus station, where they've gotten approached, yes they've gotten out of (trouble)," said Audie Watson of Tamarac, Fla.
Watson said no court or legal authority has told him that selling membership into the Pembina Nation Little Shell was illegal.
Applications cost $150 plus an optional gift to the Universal Service Dedicated to God, which is a nondenominational religious nonprofit, according to its Web site.
Watson said members also can qualify for a driver's license, car registration and tags issued by the tribe that are valid in any state. Watson said the tribe is based in North Dakota.
But officials at the Pembina border station, the Pembina County Museum in Cavalier, N.D., and the Pembina City Museum in Pembina, N.D., said they had never heard of the tribe.
In 2003, North Dakota's insurance commissioner ordered a company using the name Little Shell Pembina Band of North America to stop selling insurance. Jim Poolman said the tribe was not licensed in North Dakota and was not registered to sell insurance.
It was unclear Friday exactly which federal agency would investigate the matter — either as an immigration issue, a consumer fraud issue or an Indian affairs issue.
Counts said ICE officials weren't sure if the matter was in the agency's jurisdiction.
Felici, of the Texas attorney general's office, said he could not comment on the possibility of an investigation by that office.
When asked if the Nebraska attorney general would investigate, spokeswoman Holley Hatt said citizenship and tribal status are typically handled by federal agencies.
"I don't know that this is something that we would certainly investigate," said Cabrera, the spokeswoman from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "We would certainly work close with the communities to make sure that they know that this is an immigration scam."
Federal Trade Commission spokesman Mitch Katz said he had not heard of the issue.
"It sounds like it could be something that the FTC could tangentially look at," Katz said.
Cases could be difficult to prosecute because illegal immigrants are hesitant to come forward with complaints, worried that they will be turned over to immigration officials.
"The fear is very valid," Cabrera said.
Is Ward Churchill the recruiter for this tribe? LOL
yitbos
Basically this could be consiered consumer fraud. The Feds have been working to protect non-english speaking/reading folks (illegal aliens)for a couple of years now. Even state attorney gernerals are onboard.
There is a sucker born every minute.
Most of them must be multiple births, ‘cause there sure seems to be a lot of them!
Do they have a casino?
Kansas had a case two years ago that involved a woman pretending to be a lawyer who could adjust an illegal alien’s status. In that case the judge allowed the illegal aliens to enter as Juan/Juanita Doe. The AG explained that the illegal aliens were needed to go after the perp but were afraid of relatiation from the Feds. That case was brought under the Kansas Consumer Protection Law.
The idea of “sovereign nations” within the USA is a stupid idea. Indians should become 100% American citizens like everyone else. No reservations, no gambling casinos, no tax-free cigarettes.
Pass a Federal Law that states any of these “granted tribal status” mexicans cannot leave the reservation or face deportation. Let the indians support them!
LLS
Won't ever happen. It's been tried twice, first in the 1890s with the Dawes General Allotment Act and the federal Termination efforts of the 1950s. Both attempts ended disastrously, largely because of cultural, economic, and political reasons.
American Indians and Alaska Natives have a legally recognized trust relationship with the federal government, backed by numerous Supreme Court decisions, treaties, laws, and executive orders, and eliminating that relationship is nigh near impossible because of that entire corpus of policy and law.
Beat me to it! My first though was that Whore Churchill was involved too.
I dunno. The Indians have been raked over the coals pretty badly. Let them have their gimmicks—the idea of tax-free anything appeals to me anyway. However, this scam has got to go.
That is THE test. LOL.
I thot we were in a post-Indian era.
No!
I believe the following line is a reference to Churchill.
But Freytez said some people reported paying much more to the tribe — up to $1,200.
Where’s my casino ?
Reading comprehension doesn’t seem to be at a premium on this thread, especially if it gets in the way of a good casino dig.
There was the same inane commentary during the Churchill travesty. I fail to understand how stories about white scammers and criminals, representing themselves as something other than they are, evolves into predictable and disparaging commentary about a people who have nothing to do with it.
You seem to be one of the few who read the article and understood it. I certainly want illegals gone and our borders secured as evidenced by my tag-line. I have never been in a casino or bought tax-free cigarettes, heh. :)
Here are a few links to CNI who like Hunter, makes sure our soldiers have the best of the best on the battlefield:
http://www.cnicnd.com/Default.aspx?tabid=41
http://www.cnicnd.com/Default.aspx?tabid=62
Yeah . . . The American People.
They better keep their pandering peon papooses on the res then........
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