{"id":36470,"date":"2024-04-11T16:35:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-11T20:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=36470"},"modified":"2024-04-16T16:47:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T20:47:00","slug":"cronkite-news-tribes-air-concerns-about-border-at-hearing-in-nations-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/11\/cronkite-news-tribes-air-concerns-about-border-at-hearing-in-nations-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Tribes air concerns about border at hearing in nation&#8217;s capital"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Em3-Bv7uAnQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">House Committee on Natural Resources: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/Em3-Bv7uAnQ>\r\nSubcommittee on Oversight and Investigations &#8211; Biden\u2019s Border Crisis: Examining the Impacts of International Cartels Targeting Indian Country &#8211; April 10, 2024<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Tribal leaders seeking solutions to cartel crime, say they mostly got talk<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Thursday, April 11, 2024<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Ian McKinney<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON  &#8212; Lawmakers wanted to talk about the problems of foreign criminal cartels operating on Indigenous lands, but tribal leaders came to the House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing last Wednesday seeking solutions.<P><\/P>\r\nInstead, they said, they left the hearing afraid it was just another &#8220;check-a-box-off&#8221; exercise.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Something that wasn&#8217;t really talked about is where do we go from here?&#8221; said Tohono O&#8217;odham Chairman Verlon Jose. &#8220;I heard, &#8216;Yes I want to go to your reservations,&#8217; &#8216;Yes, I learned something.&#8217; But there was no real strong commitment on where do we go from here. That&#8217;s what I want to hear.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nRep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, who chaired <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/calendar\/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=415813\">the hearing,<\/a> acknowledged that solutions may not have been forthcoming Wednesday. But he said it was important to start the discussion and he hopes it was the first step in a longer process between Congress and the tribes.<P><\/P>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/1810886463&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=false&#038;show_user=false&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=false\"><\/iframe> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/indianz\/sets\/bidens-border-crisis-examining-the-impacts-of-international-cartels-targeting-indian-country\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Border Crisis: Examining the Impacts of International Cartels Targeting Indian Country\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden\u2019s Border Crisis: Examining the Impacts of International Cartels Targeting Indian Country<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe hearing in the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/uploadedfiles\/hearing_memo_--_sub_on_oi_ov_hrg_on_cartel_activity_on_tribal_lands_04.10.24_v.2.pdf\">was called<\/a> to focus on &#8220;Biden&#8217;s border crisis&#8221; and to look at the &#8220;increase in violence, crime, and drug overdoses that are ravaging communities across Indian country&#8221; at the hands of drug cartels, the hearing notice said.<P><\/P>\r\nJose and other tribal leaders who testified at the hearing said the problems they face from the cartels are real.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Our police force spends about half its time on border issues, including the investigation of immigrant deaths, illegal drug seizures, and human smuggling,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/uploadedfiles\/testimony_jose.pdf\">said Jose,<\/a> whose community straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. &#8220;Smugglers have held tribal families hostage, damaged and stolen property, and recruited tribal youth to engage in smuggling activity.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/tribes-cartels-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"36477\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/11\/cronkite-news-tribes-air-concerns-about-border-at-hearing-in-nations-capital\/tribes-cartels-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/VerlonJose.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ian McKinney&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 70D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Tohono O&#039;odham Chairman Verlon Jose testifes during an April 10 hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. (Photo by &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/\\&quot; target=\\&quot;_blank\\&quot;&gt;Ian McKinney&lt;\/a&gt;\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712737191&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Diannie Chavez 2021&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Tribes Cartels&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Verlon Jose\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Verlon Jose&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Tohono O&amp;#8217;odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose testifies during an April 10 2024, hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. Photo by &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Ian McKinney&lt;\/a&gt; \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/VerlonJose-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/VerlonJose.jpg\" alt=\"Verlon Jose\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-36477\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Tohono O&#8217;odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose testifies during an April 10 2024, hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ian McKinney<\/a> \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut they warned that solutions to those problems will take time, money, a recognition of tribal sovereignty and a level of cooperation that tribes have yet to see from Congress.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Are we going to walk out these doors and be like, &#8216;All right, what was this for?&#8217;&#8221; asked <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/uploadedfiles\/testimony_kirk.pdf\">Bryce Kirk,<\/a> a councilman for the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. &#8220;You know, how do we work together? That&#8217;s the question that I didn&#8217;t get from you guys, &#8216;How are we going to work together?&#8217; Because right now, sitting here, it&#8217;s still seems divided.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\nOne of the main solutions pushed by Kirk, Jose and other witnesses was to give tribes more autonomy to fight these issues themselves.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t come in and rearrange your house for you,&#8221; Jose said the of the way tribes are often treated by the federal government. &#8220;I would work with you, or I would have you rearrange your house yourself.&#8221;<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Who better to address the needs than the people themselves? When we have that consultation and that direct funding, we&#8217;re able to really put the money where it works, because you (the federal government) can build something, but it was not designed to address the local community,&#8221; Jose said.<P><\/P>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/tribes-cartels\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"36476\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/04\/11\/cronkite-news-tribes-air-concerns-about-border-at-hearing-in-nations-capital\/tribes-cartels\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/PaulGosar.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Ian McKinney&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 70D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, chairs an April 10 hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. (Photo by &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/\\&quot; target=\\&quot;_blank\\&quot;&gt;Ian McKinney&lt;\/a&gt;\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1712739514&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Diannie Chavez 2021&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;135&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Tribes Cartels&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Paul Gosar\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Paul Gosar&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, chairs an April 10, 2024, hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. Photo by &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Ian McKinney&lt;\/a&gt; \/ Cronkite News&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/PaulGosar-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/PaulGosar.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Gosar\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-36476\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Bullhead City, chairs an April 10, 2024, hearing of a House Natural Resources subcommittee on the impact of international criminal cartels in Indian Country. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/people\/ian-mckinney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ian McKinney<\/a> \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGosar agreed that there needs to be more respect for tribal sovereignty.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Tribal entities are sovereign entities, and no one&#8217;s talking to them about how they&#8217;re being impacted by the mass implementation of foreign nationals,&#8221; he said, referring back to the cartels.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;I think, from the standpoint of delegating water or assets and resources to them, holding them accountable, is a great way to set an example for the FBI and anybody else,&#8221; Gosar said after the hearing.<P><\/P>\r\nGosar said he&#8217;s optimistic Congress will take action, telling leaders to &#8220;stay tuned.&#8221;<P><\/P><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\nDespite the reassurances, Jose said he is still concerned, and plans to continue pushing for lawmakers to work with tribal leaders on solutions.<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;We&#8217;re not asking for a handout. We&#8217;re asking for a hand-up so that we can play our role in society,&#8221; Jose said. &#8220;How do we work together to address it? We really want to create the solutions; we really need to work together.<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Notice<\/div>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/calendar\/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=415813>Biden\u2019s Border Crisis: Examining the Impacts of International Cartels Targeting Indian Country<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2024\/04\/10\/tribal-leaders-seeking-solutions-to-cartel-crime-say-they-mostly-got-talk\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lawmakers wanted to talk about the problems of foreign criminal cartels operating on Indigenous lands, but tribal leaders came to Capitol Hill seeking solutions.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,1,14,23],"tags":[3586,214,42,45,4417,101,46,570,639,49,48,697,53,511,550,249,151,85,220,41,4309],"class_list":["post-36470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law","category-national","category-politics","category-world","tag-118th","tag-appropriations","tag-arizona","tag-borders","tag-bryce-kirk","tag-crime","tag-cronkite-news","tag-drugs","tag-fort-peck","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-immigration","tag-joe-biden","tag-law-enforcement","tag-mexico","tag-montana","tag-paul-gosar","tag-republicans","tag-sovereignty","tag-tohono-oodham","tag-verlon-jose","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/12\/VerlonJose.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-9ue","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36470","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=36470"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36527,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36470\/revisions\/36527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}