A man who said he is a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas was convicted of violating federal immigration law.
Erick R. Bonilla, 32, was born in Mexico and is not a U.S. citizen. He said his tribal affiliation allows him to cross the border into Texas.
Judge Rob Junell disagreed and noted that the tribe lacks federal recognition. After a one-day bench trial, he found Bonilla guilty of re-entering the United States after being deported.
Bonilla has been deported twice and agreed to leave the U.S. on two other occasions, The Odessa American reported.
Get the Story:
Native American found guilty
(The Odessa American 7/7)
Trending in News
1 White House Council on Native American Affairs meets quick demise under Donald Trump
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
2 'A process of reconnecting': Young Lakota actor finds ways to stay tied to tribal culture
3 Jenni Monet: Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on leave after fatal shooting of Brandon Laducer
4 'A disgraceful insult': Joe Biden campaign calls out Navajo leader for Republican speech
5 Kaiser Health News: Sisters from Navajo Nation died after helping coronavirus patients
More Stories
Share this Story!
You are enjoying stories from the Indianz.Com Archive, a collection dating back to 2000. Some outgoing links may no longer work due to age.
All stories in the Indianz.Com Archive are available for publishing via Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)