Underscore News

For 15 years, a coalition of Native people and conservationists have worked to restore a century-old dairy farm site and make it a welcoming habitat for salmon, lamprey and traditional plants.

Last week, that plan was realized when a levee was dismantled, allowing the brackish waters of the Siuslaw River to enter an estuary. Advocates say this will transform the area back into what it once was, roughly a century and a half ago. Underscore Native News looks at the Siuslaw Estuary's potential for bringing back a pre-colonial landscape.

After 15 Years, haich ikt’ at’uu Comes to Siuslaw Estuary - Underscore Native News Coalition celebrates breach of levee, adding a connection to traditional waterways.

The legislation comes amid growing reports of Native Americans being questioned, delayed, or detained after federal officers failed to recognize valid tribal IDs and documentation as proof of citizenship.

The Respect Tribal IDs Act would require DHS, in coordination with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal nations, to develop standardized training for officers and employees involved in immigration enforcement. The training would include how to identify tribal documents, when tribal IDs qualify as proof of U.S. citizenship, proper protocols for interacting with enrolled tribal members, and the federal government’s trust responsibility to tribal nations.

“The Respect Tribal IDs Act is a commonsense bill to ensure DHS personnel are properly trained to recognize Tribal IDs and work respectfully with Tribal communities,” said Rep. Don Bacon, in a statement. “Federal agencies have a responsibility to protect and support Tribal citizens, and this legislation helps ensure they do that.”

https://www.underscore.news/justice/lawmakers-demand-ice-respect-tribal-ids-in-new-legislation/