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DHS Strikes 4th Deal for Tribal Identity Cards |
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by Mickey McCarter
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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 |
Tohono O'odham Nation is latest to move on enhanced ID card
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has struck a fourth agreement for enhanced tribal identification cards compliant with US travel laws with a Native American tribe, the department announced Tuesday.
DHS and the Tohono O'odham Nation, which has lands in Arizona and Mexico, agreed to standards for an enhanced tribal card to be carried by the roughly 28,000 registered members of the tribe. The identification card complies with the specifications of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which mandated strict requirements for travel documents for citizens of the United States, Canada and Bermuda--who may previously have not required a passport--on June 1.
"This agreement will strengthen safety along our borders while providing Tohono O'odham members a secure and standardized ID card," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. "In the months ahead, we will continue to build upon these efforts-from secure identification to preparing for emergencies-with our tribal partners across the country."
In 2009, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reached agreements with the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the Pascua Yaqui of Arizona, and the Seneca Nation of New York. The agency is negotiating with about another 25 tribes in the United States to provide them with enhanced tribal cards as well.
The US federal government recognizes 564 American Indian tribes. The four tribes that have reached agreement with DHS on enhanced tribal cards to date have a significant percentage of their populations outside of the country.
DHS efforts to institute enhanced tribal cards have focused on cross-border tribes that have significant travel into Mexico and Canada. The Kootenai Tribe is made up of seven bands of people, two located in the United States and five in Canada. The Pascua Yaqui have a community in Sonora, Mexico. The Seneca Nation has lands in New York and Ontario, Canada. Likewise, the Tohono O'odham Nation lives on 75 miles of land in Arizona and Mexico.
Tohono O'odham Nation Chairperson Ned Norris hailed the agreement on an enhanced tribal card as meeting both the needs of his tribe and US security.
"This agreement is of tremendous importance to the Tohono O'odham Nation and is an excellent example of how positive government-to-government relations can benefit the greater good," Norris said in a statement.
"Secretary Napolitano, Acting [CBP] Commissioner [Jayson] Ahern, CBP and the Tohono O'odham Legislative Council deserve a great deal of credit for their diligence in developing this momentous agreement. The Tohono O'odham Nation is committed to doing its part by working with federal authorities to protect the US homeland," he added.
DHS characterized the agreement as one that demonstrated the secretary's commitment to working with US Indian tribes to combat terrorism and transnational crime with the use of secure identification cards.
WHTI requires travelers to carry an approved travel document when entering the United States. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda now must present passports, passport cards, trusted traveler program cards, or state or provide enhanced driver's licenses when crossing the border.
DHS also will accept enhanced tribal cards as approved documents once they pass successful tests and Native Americans begin carrying them.
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Mickey McCarter |
| About the author: |
| eNewsletter Editor/Senior Washington Correspondent,
is a journalist with more than a decade of experience in reporting
on
military affairs and information technology.
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