By Nicole Maxwell
Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents questioned a Mescalero Apache tribal member Wednesday and asked for a passport, according to Mescalero Apache President Thora Walsh-Padilla.
Walsh-Padilla said in a statement that the incident was verified Thursday afternoon.
“While this is the only incident we have been able to verify, Tribal leadership is actively working with the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to ensure that the rights of Tribal Members are protected,” Walsh-Padilla said in the statement. “To be safe, be aware of your surroundings, let family members/friends know where you are, and keep identification with you at all times.”
ICE agents questioned a family standing in line in front of a Mescalero Apache tribal member and the family was escorted outside, according to the statement.
An ICE agent approached the tribal member in Spanish to which the tribal member replied they spoke English.
Names were not released.
The ICE agent then asked the tribal member for a passport and in response, the tribal member presented their driver’s license and tribal identification to the ICE agent who then ended questioning and left, according to the statement.
“We want to ensure that Mescalero Apache Tribal members can effectively communicate their rights and concerns in relation to federal agents, fostering resilience and solidarity among tribal members,” a Mescalero Apache news release states.
The incident follows President Donald Trump’s announcement that expanded immigration enforcement activities were on the way.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez issued guidance on Wednesday outlining protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren warned Navajo people living in urban areas about potential interactions with immigration agents.
Requests for comment from ICE about the incident were not returned.
As far as I know, the Apache are the TRUE owners (as well as other AMERICAN INDIAN NATIONS) of this nation. Put a criminal in the oval office and it’s going to be a fight for our lives, just to live in the USA.
Just saw this happening the other day online. It’s a good idea to get ahold of the National Lawyer’s Guild, and Legal Aid, before getting arrested. And that now, because of Fascist actions are being enacted very fast,as a dictatorship WILL do! Most Americans don’t understand what living under Martial Law is like, or life under obvious dictators like Putin, or Xi. Especially if they are of Western European descent. Like from the UK, for example. But for people who are from those places, we’ve seen this pattern before, and it’s going on the same way,after the Bolsheviks took power. At first,they claimed that life would be better now that the Tsar was executed, and poverty would end- but it was just a lie to get established . Once everyone began to see the deception, we rose up to try to stop them from going further,so we had another civil war that lasted from 1917 to 1919. They had all the food and any guns people had. Of course there’s no second amendment over there, only cops, military and mobsters get to have guns ! This we are seeing today,is the result of Neoliberalism, coming from Operation Paperclip after WW2. While there’s still an Internet, please research Project 2025, and the Powell Memo, of 1971, like this week, because there’s going to be a government shutdown in March. Lots of good websites for the above,like spitfirelist.com, thomhartmann.tv, and not just US sites,but The Guardian.co.uk, Times of India, Straits Times, South China Morning Post, Jerusalem Post, Financial Times, some aren’t free, but can be paid using ( never use your own bank account for this)one of those cards like Net 10 at Dollar General,or Family Dollar stores. You’ll need to be anonymous online now, and use VPN and encryption to avoid arrest. It won’t be long before surfing the web will be just like in Russia,China, Iran. Be careful like people overseas have to be! This current dystopian administration is NOT American! Just using the label, American this and that. You’re looking at Fascism+ surveillance tech.
Disgusting profiling. The agent should be ashamed of himself (herself/themselves?).
This is a blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment, and Trump needs to be impeached for it, pronto. No more fooling around.
People are calling it a hoax. Don’t let them gaslight you.
They have no right be on that reservation. The reservation should then not let them use the interstates that go through them. Donald Trump went too far with his greed. The Indians, Mexicans, Black people, Are going to rebel. And there will be an uprising chaos. Is that what America needs. who is gonna do their jobs then white people are not. Donald Trump made this a communist country now. Just like Russia.
They were in Ruidoso, not on the reservation. But it was still wrong. Did they question any of the white people there? I think not.
Trump Strong !! like ManlyMans Pootin & nate&Yahoo & Talibans & MuskyMusk & theZuck & mattGates
They should be detaining criminals that are wandering around our beautiful town of Ruidoso! Our home has been broken several times times, and twice have reported the intruder that claims that our home is his house! Last July destroyed our kitchen and family portraits! He is wandering the streets, He was assigned an attorney ,according to the results incompetent! I went to put a restraining order, was unsuccessful, and the judge assigned him another attorney! I, as one of the victims , need to hire my own, or go to the self help for defending myself! I ask myself, this is justice?
Politicians are ignoring Ruidoso’s real complaint – homelessness.
Instead, Trump and his “unified Reich” are chasing migrants all over our great city, now including Native Americans of the Mescalero Apaches.
Tell your elected officials to solve Ruidoso’s homeless problem.
The first inhabitants of the Southwest tend to have Hispanic surnames ,though they don’t speak Spanish thanks to forced assimilation. They’re like our cousins. Profiling is inconvenient but I do have my real ID with me at all times.
It is all the wounded masculine energy..
Whatever gender they call themselves if it displays it’s self through oppression believing it to be “power” it is wounded masculine. Centuries of dominating, violence,controlling, ruling , raping , taking and oppressing the feminine and mother earth or simply labeling those that don’t agree as wrong is wounded masculine.
The wounded feminine displays as a victim. None of this is gender based. We all hold both energies. The return of white buffalo symbolizes a time to heal our brokenness and step in to our true power. No thyself. Remember who you we are.
This didn’t begin with us. Centuries of oppressive behavior has smothered how real power within oneself expresses itself. We are entering the Aquarian age which is feminine. The wounded masculine feels it which is why the are so afraid and doubling down the oppression. Their energy is obsolete. The world and life on it will not survive another tyrannical ruling. The wounded masculine doesn’t recognize life…they’ve been brutalizing it since the beginning of time. The loss of a woman’s right to bodily autonomy has come about because the wounded feminine who behaves like the wounded masculine thinking they are empowered. This is how the “save” lives while ignoring the lives that created it. No thyself. The responsibility sits with each of us individually to release the disguise of brokenness and learn what real empowerment feels behaves and looks like. Have you ever been in love? With anything. That feeling is where to start. The respect of ones self and others. Do no harm. Live and let live.. everything else is a lie you have accepted..
Vision quest people. It starts now. It is the only way…through healing self your eyes will see a different world and understand you place in it…to support, up lift, encourage, lead, nurture, protect, provide for, embrace and love.
Walk in Beauty
Trump said repeatedly that we were being invaded by criminal immigrants that were destroying our country. This country has only been invaded once and that was by white people. Unlike his ancestors the current waive of immigrants come here for a better life and safety not to commit genocide and take over vast areas of land. He and the newly freed insurrectionists should be deported. Germany rid themselves of the Trumps why can’t we?
I don’t understand why they would be questioning tribal members in Mesqalero? They shouldn’t worry as long they show their crediondals!
They need to do their jobs, and if you have your paperwork then you shouldn’t worry about it. Thank the Biden administration for having Trump do a job that the Biden administration failed to do and failed to allow so many immigrants!
Up until the Obama years, Republicans vigorously defended mass immigration, because it’s what big business wanted,so they could keep wages low competition high for jobs, while ending unions and benefits, making things just like the 1930’s Depression Era. Then suddenly they pivot against immigration that they used to benefit from! It’s not just illegal immigrants, it’s also having three million people a year coming. No country is large enough to support uncontrolled migrations, but they got what they wanted, so this is one reason why this is happening now. It’s also the perfect tool to distract everyone,while worse things are being done, like getting rid of government watchdogs, accountability , and safety nets and regulations for food and medicine, while US food is being contaminated in strange ways. Just like with Putin, he’s using the war to do this too. Anyone with roots in a dictatorship knows what is going on.
Trump Strong !! like ManlyMans Pootin & nate&Yahoo & Talibans & MuskyMusk & theZuck & mattGates
Most Russians hate Putin, but if you say it and the wrong person hears you, they’ll report you and you get arrested and imprisoned in a gulag – yes,they still exist!
ICE must be operating completely under Trump orders and “guidance”. The ICE and the DHS could not have moved this fast without being confirmed by the US Congress -which happened only a day ago.
I’m sorry this is happening. If someone wrongly pointed ICE there, then they should be arrested for filing false reports.