On The Vine: Hey ICE, Indigenous people are Americans. Leave them alone | Opinion
I think that most people would be hard-pressed to disagree with this statement: There’s a lot wrong with the way federal agents have been conducting the Trump administration’s directed mass immigration enforcement.
I don’t believe that dragging people — and not the criminals they said they were going after — out of their cars, their homes, schools, hospitals and churches, terrorizing children and gunning down residents who show their objection to their behavior, is what the American people wanted or expected when they voted for immigration reform in this country.
They definitely weren’t expecting American citizens to be harassed, detained or killed in the streets.
Yet, despite the loud cry of public disapproval, agents continue to move unchecked from one bad action to the next, mostly targeting brown people of Hispanic descent, both undocumented and documented.
Most of us are descendants of people who came to this country from somewhere else, either willingly or unwillingly. But Native Americans are indigenous and definitely American citizens, a status guaranteed to all Native Americans by the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. One would think Indigenous people would be the last group to worry about being the subject of Immigration and Customs Enforcement action.
In a recent conversation with a former administrative leader at Haskell Indian Nations University, I was told ICE has Native American people in Lawrence feeling unsafe. Why would the indigenous community in Lawrence, be feeling harassed, targeted even, by federal ICE agents?
I can’t help believing what some members of that community have shared with me: that it’s a matter of racial profiling, where agents — either because they lack cultural competence or just don’t care — mistake indigenous individuals for undocumented immigrants based on their brown skin tone. No question, that’s wrong.
The Native News posted on its Facebook page months ago that “federal agents are detaining Native Americans across the country, refusing to accept tribal IDs as valid identification. These wrongful detentions reveal a dangerous pattern of racial profiling that undermines tribal sovereignty and threatens Indigenous citizens in their own homeland.” Immigrant advocate groups are now instructing indigenous people to carry federal IDs with them.
But here’s my question: Of all the places to go looking for undocumented persons, why Lawrence, where at just over 7%, the Hispanic population — because we know that’s the population being most often detained — is nearly 50% lower than the statewide average of nearly 14%?
By contrast, the indigenous population in Lawrence represents a higher concentration than the state average, driven largely by the presence of Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas.
Maybe ICE came to Lawrence, as some suspect, because as a college town, it is one of the most progressive and liberal in the state. It’s no secret that President Donald Trump has directed ICE and other federal agencies to focus his mass immigration enforcement efforts on “blue” Democratic cities, which Lawrence is, in an otherwise largely Republican state.
Last week in Lawrence, ICE agents rolled into town, unbeknownst to local police or Douglas County sheriff’s deputies, and cuffed and detained six individuals. What led ICE to them, we don’t really know. A Lakota woman said she was shooting video of ICE vehicles while agents were detaining people they probably suspected of being undocumented, when an agent jumped on her with “all his weight.” Her arm was injured in the encounter.
Days later, Lawrence residents and students from Haskell staged protests and rallies calling for ICE agents to leave town. The student-organized rally stretched several blocks with hundreds of sign-toting protesters calling for ICE to “get out” of Lawrence.
Students who spoke to news organizations documenting the community response to ICE said they are “fearful” that their friends are “fearful,” and they feel as though Native Americans are being targeted by ICE even though they are American.
Marijayne Cournoyer, a Haskell student, mother of four and one of the protest organizers, told news media: “I feel like it’s real scary because we’re Native Americans and we are brown. And I feel like they’re targeting brown people.”
In an email to The Star, ICE spokesman Robert E. Hughes II said that all of the six arrested were undocumented but hasn’t provided information about who they detained. Some Native American leaders have said they believe two of the people detained in Lawrence that day by ICE were indigenous, though The Star hasn’t seen documentation supporting that claim.
But if indeed ICE is in Lawrence, terrorizing Native American students and families and bringing fear into the city to serve some political agenda because the city is welcoming and progressive, then yes, these federal agents need to pack up and go.
Off The Vine
- Below are stories about culture and identity from communities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Go here to find more stories on culture and identity from Star reporter J.M. Banks.
- The Black Movie Hall of Fame is just what Kansas City needs, another display celebrating Black excellence. So while its permanent home is under construction in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District, some of its pieces can be seen at the Black Archives of Mid-America. Banks paid a visit.
- There’s more to one of Kansas City’s popular soul food diners than good eats. Apparently it’s also serving up some good live soul music to compliment your meal. Banks stopped by and shared a taste of what this spot has in store once a month.
Around The Vine
- Tell your family story at “Rooted in Greatness” a community event where, as part of Black History Month, Mid-Continent Public Library is hosting an event, from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, allowing participants to recognize a family member who shaped their life and legacy, through short presentations, storytelling and music.
- Get ready for Pop is Black, a concert with KC’s top Black pop artists from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Zhou B. Art Center, 1801 E. 18th St.
- If you’re a fan of Boru Asian Eatery in Waldo you may only have days to visit for a meal there. KC Star reporter Noelle Alviz-Gransee writes about why the final day of service is Feb. 28.
Vine Picks
- News reporters get to do some remarkable things, like the time I got to walk arm in arm with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Here’s the story.
- Small nonprofit organization that are making a big impact but struggling have a chance to get a little financial boost through a new grant program. Opinion Editor Yvette Walker writes about the group launching the effort. Find out more.
- The Kansas City Repertory Theatre announced its 2026-27 season and it’s packed with a little bit of everything. Star writer Dan Kelly has all the details.
- If you’ve been wondering what, if anything, is going on inside the old brick building, once The Star’s home in the east Crossroads, now you can find out. Reporter Jenna Thompson has the story behind the new game-centric bar open there.
Your voice matters to us. What local issues do you want to hear discussed in On The Vine? Let me, Mará Rose Williams, The Star’s senior opinion columnist, know directly at mdwilliams@kcstar.com. Thank you for reading.
