{"id":20665,"date":"2022-02-02T13:25:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T18:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=20665"},"modified":"2022-02-02T14:53:07","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T19:53:07","slug":"nooksack-tribe-puts-housing-evictions-on-pause-amid-high-level-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/02\/02\/nooksack-tribe-puts-housing-evictions-on-pause-amid-high-level-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"Nooksack Tribe puts housing evictions on \u2018pause\u2019 amid high-level attention"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iqzceEew9ds\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/16\/maxresdefault-233.jpg\" alt=\"Morning Update Show | Wednesday, January 5, 2022\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iqzceEew9ds\">\n\t\t\tMorning Update Show | Wednesday, January 5, 2022\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iqzceEew9ds\">\n\t\t\t<p>Gabe Galanda Indigenous Rights Lawyer | LIVENooksack Tribal Disenrollment Mike Davis of the South Seattle Emerald | LIVEIke Everard Director \/ Producer | LIVE<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/dc4e66d7\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"YouTube\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tYouTube\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Morning Update Show: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/iqzceEew9ds>Gabe Galanda Indigenous Rights Lawyer  &#8211;\r\nNooksack Tribal Disenrollment  &#8211;  January 5, 2022 [Segment starts around 23:10]<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Nooksack Tribe puts housing evictions on \u2018pause\u2019 amid high-level attention<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, February 2, 2022<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nFormer citizens of the <a href=https:\/\/nooksacktribe.org\/>Nooksack Tribe<\/a> have won   temporary respite from being evicted from their federally-funded homes in Washington state.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe tribe agreed to put the evictions on \u201cpause\u201d until Tuesday, Vice Chair Rick George wrote in an email to <a href=https:\/\/www.bia.gov\/profile\/assistant-secretary-indian-affairs-bryan-newland>Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland<\/a>. The move came as the Biden administration investigates  a situation that has been <a href=https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/02\/us\/nooksack-306-evictions-tribal-sovereignty.html>attracting more high-level attention<\/a> in recent weeks.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI am hopeful that this investigation will be the last, as this issue has been depriving deserving enrolled Nooksack tribal members of housing for more than six years,\u201d George wrote in the January 12 message.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">3\/ A week later, Nooksack Vice Chairman Rick George emailed the BIA &quot;agree[ing] to pause the current evictions until Tuesday, February 1, 2022,&quot; pending the BIA&#39;s investigation into Indian Civil Rights Act violations against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nooksack306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@nooksack306<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7lRrGKL9vY\">pic.twitter.com\/7lRrGKL9vY<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Gabe Galanda, Indigenous Rights Lawyer (@NDNlawyer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1488887203186941952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nA copy of the <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1488887203186941952>email was posted on social media<\/a> on Wednesday by <a href=https:\/\/www.galandabroadman.com\/profiles\/galanda>Gabe Galanda, an attorney<\/a> who has represented Nooksack people who have been <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/nooksack306>disenrolled from the tribe<\/a>. He believes the <a href=https:\/\/www.bia.gov\/>Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>, which Newland oversees, has been  taking \u201chistoric\u201d steps to address the rights of individuals in Indian Country.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThe BIA\u2019s statement marks the second time the Biden administration has professed a commitment to protecting Indigenous individuals\u2019 human rights from violation by tribal governments, and a break from modern administrations that focused almost exclusively on supporting tribal self-determination rights,\u201d <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/01\/25\/gabe-galanda-biden-administration-takes-a-stand-on-indian-civil-rights\/>Galanda wrote in a blog post<\/a> after the Biden administration provided a response to a mainstream media story about <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNooksack306\/>The Nooksack 306<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDespite the concession to delay the evictions, the tribe has consistently asserted its sovereign right to determine who is entitled to citizenship. Nooksack leaders, including Chair Roswell \u201cRoss\u201d Cline Sr., have  long said those who have been disenrolled are \u201cnon-Indians\u201d who don&#8217;t belong &#8212;  a contention rejected by a former council member.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_www-facebook-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNooksack306\/videos\/4649358891829879\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/16\/273277832_4649362291829539_5265233525886072273_n.jpg\" alt=\"1K views \u00b7 32 reactions | Uncle Bobby Rabang explains how our Ancestors were here before there was a U.S.-Canada border.  We will always be here. It&#039;s where We Belong!\n#StopDisenrollment #webelong | The Nooksack 306\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNooksack306\/videos\/4649358891829879\/\">\n\t\t\t1K views \u00b7 32 reactions | Uncle Bobby Rabang explains how our Ancestors were here before there was a U.S.-Canada border.  We will always be here. It&#8217;s where We Belong!\n#StopDisenrollment #webelong | The Nooksack 306\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNooksack306\/videos\/4649358891829879\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>Uncle Bobby Rabang explains how our Ancestors were here before there was a U.S.-Canada border. We will always be here. It&#8217;s where We Belong! #StopDisenrollment #webelong<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.xx.fbcdn.net\/rsrc.php\/y1\/r\/ay1hV6OlegS.ico\" alt=\"www.facebook.com\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\twww.facebook.com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe experts, the agree with us, that you we are  Nooksack,\u201d Robert \u201cBobby\u201d Rabang Sr. said in a <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNooksack306\/videos\/4649358891829879\/>video   posted by The Nooksack 306<\/a> on Wednesday.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cThat really hurts,\u201d Rabang said of efforts to push out his family and others. \u201cWe&#8217;re going to fight until the end.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe tribe began initiating eviction proceedings shortly before the Christmas holiday. The development prompted the <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1474413822660132866>BIA to warn Chair Cline<\/a>  about moving forward too quickly.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThere are extremely concerning allegations of potential Civil Rights Act and Indian Civil Rights Act violations regarding these evictions,\u201d  BIA Director  Darryl LaCounte wrote in an email on December 23.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cWe respectfully ask that you delay your eviction proceedings for at least thirty days to provide us with time to complete our review and consider  all of the evidence surrounding this situation,\u201d   LaCounte stated.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nBy that time, though, the  tribe had already been warned by the Biden administration about going forward with the evictions. The  <a href=https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/>Department of the Interior<\/a>, as well as the <a href=https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/>Department of Housing and Urban Development<\/a>, asked Cline on two separate occasions last fall to respect the rights of individual Indians and to ensure the tribal housing program lives  up to conditions of its receipt of federal funds.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Department takes HUD&#8217;s concern seriously and will review the situation to ensure the tribe is in compliance with ICRA and federal law,\u201d Assistant Secretary Newland at Interior wrote  of possible violations of the <a href=https:\/\/www.tribal-institute.org\/lists\/icra.htm>Indian Civil Rights Act<\/a>, or ICRA. The letter <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/02\/bryannewland100521.pdf\">was sent on October 5<\/a>, about a month after  a <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/02\/hudonap090121.pdf\">HUD letter to Cline<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to a <a href=https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-prevent-the-eviction-of-the-nooksack-63>fundraising page<\/a> set up Toni Jones, who is among those who have been disenrolled from the tribe, 63 people are facing eviction. They include elderly residents as old as 85, and families with young children.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cAs part of a political power grab, Nooksack politicians claim the \u2018Nooksack 63\u2019 are \u2018&#8221;non-Indians\u2019 who do not belong in the tribe, where they have lived as citizens for decades,\u201d the fundraiser states.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"gfm-embed\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-prevent-the-eviction-of-the-nooksack-63\/widget\/large\/\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/static\/js\/embed.js\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe tribe has long received funds from the <a href=https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/program_offices\/public_indian_housing\/ih\/grants\/ihbg>Indian Housing Block Grant Program<\/a>  (IHBG) at HUD. The tribe is expected to be awarded $978,771 in <a href=https:\/\/ihbgformula.com\/fy2022\/>fiscal year 2022<\/a>, according to a <a href=https:\/\/ihbgformula.com\/FRFFY2022\/Nooksack%20Indian%20Tribe.pdf>preliminary allocation amount<\/a> provided by the <a href=https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/codetalk>Office of Native American Programs<\/a> (ONAP) at the agency.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nIHGB awards are <a href=https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/program_offices\/public_indian_housing\/ih\/codetalk\/onap\/ihbgformula>based on a formula<\/a> that takes into account multiple factors, one of the most important being the population of American Indians and Alaska Natives in a tribal nation&#8217;s service area. The Nooksack Tribe&#8217;s FY2022 \u201cAI\/AN persons\u201d figure is 2,379, according to ONAP.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n The \u201cAI\/AN persons\u201d  data comes from the <a href=https:\/\/www.census.gov\/>U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>, which relies on self-identification of race or ethnicity.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTo calculate a funding award, HUD looks at a tribe&#8217;s housing \u201cNeeds\u201d in a  portion of the formula that is tied on the Census data. So a  higher figure should result in a larger grant, independent of a tribe&#8217;s citizenship base.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_twitter-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1474444469399289857\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/16\/image-19.png\" alt=\"Post Not Found - X | 404 Error\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1474444469399289857\">\n\t\t\tPost Not Found &#8211; X | 404 Error\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NDNlawyer\/status\/1474444469399289857\">\n\t\t\t<p>The post you&#8217;re looking for could not be found or may have been deleted.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"X (formerly Twitter)\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tX (formerly Twitter)\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n The Nooksack Tribe&#8217;s FY 2022 enrollment figure is indeed lower &#8212;  1,820, according to data kept by  ONAP. The tribe&#8217;s housing program  presumably benefits from the presence of non-enrolled citizens.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe are at a crossroads in United States and Indigenous history,\u201d Cam Foreman, a military veteran whose  family was removed from the <a href=https:\/\/www.reddingrancheria-nsn.gov>Redding Rancheria<\/a>, <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/01\/25\/cam-foreman-human-rights-abuses-continue-in-indian-country\/>wrote in Indianz.Com<\/a> last week.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cFor the first time we have Indigenous people leading departments of the federal government that were formed for the purpose of controlling and exterminating Indigenous peoples,\u201d\r\nForeman said in drawing attention to the issue of tribal disenrollment. \r\n \u201cIt is time to demand that Indigenous Americans receive the same human rights protections as those who have arrived in the U.S. over the last 500 years.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/01\/25\/gabe-galanda-biden-administration-takes-a-stand-on-indian-civil-rights\/\" title=\"Gabe Galanda: Biden administration takes a stand on Indian civil rights\">Gabe Galanda: Biden administration takes a stand on Indian civil rights<\/a> (January 25, 2022)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/01\/25\/cam-foreman-human-rights-abuses-continue-in-indian-country\/\" title=\"Cam Foreman: Human rights abuses continue in Indian Country\">Cam Foreman: Human rights abuses continue in Indian Country<\/a> (January 25, 2022)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/01\/13\/native-america-calling-nooksack-disenrollees-at-a-crossroads\/\" title=\"Native America Calling: Nooksack disenrollees at a crossroads\">Native America Calling: Nooksack disenrollees at a crossroads<\/a> (January 13, 2022)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/06\/gabe-galanda-the-forgotten-plight-of-the-disenrolled-in-indian-country\/\" title=\"Gabe Galanda: The forgotten plight of the disenrolled in Indian Country\">Gabe Galanda: The forgotten plight of the disenrolled in Indian Country<\/a> (October 6, 2020)\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/02\/OliveOshiro.jpg\" alt=\"Olive Oshiro\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" class=\"invisible\" \/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former citizens of the Nooksack Tribe have won temporary respite from being evicted from their federally-funded homes in Washington state.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,13,1,14],"tags":[117,2453,625,2413,3,1334,515,514,454,696,1217,1312,410,526,47,2452,314],"class_list":["post-20665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-bia","tag-bobby-rabang","tag-bryan-newland","tag-cam-foreman","tag-census","tag-darryl-lacounte","tag-disenrollment","tag-gabe-galanda","tag-grants","tag-housing","tag-hud","tag-icra","tag-law-firms","tag-nooksack","tag-race","tag-ross-cline","tag-washington","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-5nj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/02\/OliveOshiro.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}