[News] Indigenous Peoples Southern Border Rights Campaign

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Indigenous Peoples Southern Border Rights Campaign

Posted by 
<http://narcosphere.narconews.com/users/brenda-norrell>Brenda 
Norrell - October 15, 2009 at 9:45 am
http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2009/10/indigenous-peoples-southern-border-rights-campaign

By Brenda Norrell

TUCSON -- In the new Southern Border Rights 
Campaign, the Alianza Indigena Sin 
Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders, is 
working toward national guidelines to ensure 
border rights for Indigenous Peoples in their 
homelands, from California to Texas.

Indigenous Alliance Without Borders director Jose 
Matus, Yaqui, said recent meetings were held with 
members of the Gila River Indian Nation, Cocopah 
Nation and Kumeyaay Nation, along with meetings 
in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The purpose was 
to network and solicit support for a Southern 
Border Rights Campaign. The Alliance is working 
toward national guidelines and a manual for 
Southern Indigenous Border Rights at the U.S./Mexico Border region.

Matus, Yaqui ceremonial leader, has traveled to 
Yaqui communities in Sonora, Mexico for thirty 
years to bring Yaqui ceremonial leaders to the 
United States for temporary stays for ceremonial 
purposes. At the US border, there were repeatedly 
harassments and detainments of ceremonial leaders and their families.

Indigenous Peoples living along the border in 
their traditional homelands, from California to 
Texas, continue to be harassed and intimidated by 
US federal agents, including the US Border 
Patrol, and local enforcement agencies working 
with Homeland Security. The situation has not 
improved under the Obama Administration.

While the United States piously demands that 
other countries assure basic human rights to 
their citizens, the United States remains one of 
the greatest offenders of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The United States, Canada, Australia and New 
Zealand were the four countries that refused to 
vote in favor of the adoption of the United 
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous 
Peoples. The stated rights include the right to 
prior and informed consent and the right to traditional territories.

The Alliance said, "The militarization of the 
southern US border with Mexico threatens the 
survival of Indigenous Peoples living on both 
sides of the U.S.-Mexico borderline. Our survival 
as Peoples depends largely on our ability to 
practice our ancient Indigenous languages, 
spiritual beliefs, culture and ceremonies in 
privacy and community without interference. This 
is not merely a cultural and spiritual concern; 
it is a matter of human right that exists in the 
U.S. legal statues, U.S. Constitution and International Law."

Matus said the following statement by the 
Indigenous Alliance Without Borders was completed 
in cooperation with the International Indian Treaty Council:

"Southern Border Crossing for Indigenous Peoples 
And the Lack of U.S.-Mexico Border Rights & Justice

By Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders

The United States is quiet about the U.S. vote of 
‘NO' to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples"

‘We did not Cross the Border, The Border Crossed Us'

The militarization of the southern US border with 
Mexico threatens the survival of indigenous 
peoples living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico 
borderline. Our survival as Peoples depends 
largely on our ability to practice our ancient 
Indigenous languages, spiritual beliefs, culture 
and ceremonies in privacy and community without 
interference. This is not merely a cultural and 
spiritual concern; it is a matter of human right 
that exists in the U.S. legal statues, U.S. Constitution and International Law.

It is well known that the US was one of four 
countries voting against the recently adopted 
United Nations Declaration on the rights of 
Indigenous Peoples. It is dishonest for a 
government that lauds itself throughout the world 
as a Nation of Laws and protector of Human Rights 
to vote against the basic rights of Indigenous 
Peoples in its own country as well as the rights 
of hundreds of millions of Indigenous Peoples throughout the world.

To restore American credibility and make progress 
on these issues the Alianza Indigena Sin 
Fronteras will advance a vision of responsible 
local, regional and international engagement that 
emphasizes human rights, solidarity and 
cooperation in an interdependent world, realizing 
that progress on compelling southern border 
problems will require the active support of 
friends, allies, and other major stakeholders in 
the local, regional and international community.

With that purpose, the Alianza Indigena Sin 
Fronteras is spearheading the first ever Southern 
border transnational collaboration of Indigenous 
Peoples to address the rights of mobility and 
passage, militarization of the southern border 
and seek national policy on Southern Indigenous 
Peoples' border rights, justice and recognition 
for the cultural and religious rights of 
Indigenous Peoples, and their traditional ceremonial leaders.

Our goal is to create a strategic collaboration 
along the US-Mexico border among Indigenous 
Nations/communities and their organizations, 
allies and partners. We also propose future 
collaboration, mutual support and solidarity with 
northern border tribes including the 
Dakota-Nakota 7 Council Fires of South Dakota, 
who engaged in similar issues along the US-Canada 
border. Our aim is to unite Indigenous 
communities across borders in bringing key 
Indigenous Rights issues to the U.S. Government 
and 00international arena, in particular to the 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Department 
of State and the United Nations Human Rights 
Mechanisms and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples.

As Indigenous Peoples, we must come together as 
one organized voice - we must speak for 
ourselves. Therefore, the Alianza Indigena Sin 
Fronteras asks for the support of all Indigenous 
Peoples, friends, community allies and partners 
to stand in support of the fundamental sovereign 
principles of our traditional Indigenous cultural 
beliefs. Our social justice journey is to 
establish Indigenous human/civil rights, cultural 
survival and protection of our Indigenous 
languages, and the protection of mother earth and 
sacred sites at the southern border.

Networking and Coalition Building to promote 
Indigenous Southern Border Rights & Justice

Solutions may only be possible with consistent 
political pressure, an organized Indigenous 
community and the support of human rights 
organizations locally, nationally and 
internationally. Assistance and support will also 
be required from federally recognized border 
tribes who would also benefit from the 
restoration of mobility for their members on the 
south side of the border fence.

The best strategy for defending Indigenous 
rights, the rights of indigenous people's 
mobility and passage of the U.S.-Mexico southern 
border must involve a combination of factors and 
strategies, including mobilizations of Indigenous 
communities and tribal councils, creating 
political pressure, the use of domestic courts 
and international human rights mechanisms.

Approaches through U.S. Domestic Law and Policy

Southern Indigenous Peoples can seek remedies to 
secure border crossing rights for their Mexican Indigenous relatives through:

· Federal Indian law and legislation, both at the State and Federal level;

· Internationally-established human right to 
maintain their cultures and cultural connections 
across international boundary which may be 
secured by seeking the proper interpretation of 
the Native American Languages Act of 1996, and 
the American Indian Religious Act of 1978 as amended in 1996;

· Seeking legislative changes to ensure that all 
Mexican Indigenous Peoples are allowed access to 
the United States equal to that of Canadian 
Indigenous Peoples and the Jay Treaty;

· Extending the program used for one southern 
border tribe, the Kickapoo, by issuing American 
Indian cards (Form I-872) to all southern border 
tribes and creating new guidelines under which a 
tribal membership/tribal affiliation card from 
southern border tribe would be sufficient for 
entry for Mexican members of that tribe;

Strategies for gaining Southern Indigenous Border Rights

· Generate pressure on the US Government to 
accept the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

· Pursue remedies for violation of their 
internationally-recognized human rights through 
two major international human rights systems, the 
United Nation (UN) and of the Organization of American States (OSA);

· Seek solidarity and support from other allies, friends and partners;

· Reinforce our efforts by conducting trainings, 
conferences, and disseminating information about our rights.


Approaches through International Law

Communicate our concerns to UN Human Rights 
Council Special Procedures, such as the Special 
Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Indigenous 
Peoples, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of 
Religion and Belief, and the newly created 
mandate, the Independent Expert on the Right to Culture;

File Shadow Reports with appropriate Treaty 
Monitoring Bodies under UN Human Rights Treaties 
to which the US is a State Party, such as the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the Elimination 
of all forms of Discrimination against Women 
(CEDAW), and the International Convention on the 
Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD);

Consider using the CERD Committee's Urgent 
Action/Early Warning procedure in urgent cases;

Attend the United Nations Permanent Forum on 
Indigenous Issues as several of its agenda items 
for 2010 are appropriate for the raising of these 
trans-border issues; Meet and network with other 
Indigenous Peoples from North America concerned with trans-border issues."




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