Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus Calls for United
Nations to Address Human Rights Violations
Nations to Address Human Rights Violations
A delegation of the Phoenix-based Tonatierra stated violations result from international borders and
immigration enforcement policies.
immigration enforcement policies.
New York, NY. May 19, 2009 - With a critical eye to the recent election of the United States to the UN
Human Rights Council, and with direct witness and testimony presented by Indigenous Peoples
impacted by international borders, the Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus has today called for the
United Nations Human Rights Council to address human rights violations resulting from immigration
enforcement policies and laws.
Of particular concern to the Indigenous Peoples are border crossing issues and economic policies of
the government states of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regime (Canada-US-
Mexico).
The Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus is a deliberative body of Indigenous Peoples from around the
world convened at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in attendance at the 8th Session of
the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
This year’s session of the Permanent Forum is addressing implementation of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly on
September 13th, 2007.
At present time, the United States has yet to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, although signals from the Obama Administration indicate that a change in
policy in favor of the declaration is being considered, and consultations at the United Nations with
delegations of Indigenous Peoples in New York are in the works.
Among the indigenous representatives attending the 8th Session of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, is a delegation from Arizona that includes representatives of Tonatierra.
Tonatierra presented a report to members of the Permanent Forum on the issues of discriminatory
enforcement and human rights abuses in Maricopa County being perpetrated by Sheriff J. Arpaio, and
immigration enforcement policies such as the 287(g) agreements with the federal government.
Citing from testimony submitted by La Alianza Indigena sin Fronteras, an alliance of Indigenous
Peoples created to address border issues of the southern US border with Mexico, Tonatierra
submitted the following testimony at the United Nations, “We believe that the militarization and
border enforcement policies that have been inflicted upon the territories of our eight Nations of
Indigenous Peoples divided by the U.S.-Mexico border have helped nurture virulent racist nativism in
America, and politicians have used immigration as a wedge issue that has degraded respect for the
civil and human rights of us all.”
The statement from the Alianza Indigena sin Fronteras, which consists of individual tribal members
from the eight southern border indigenous nations with relatives in Mexico, then continued to say
that “The actions of Sheriff Arpaio extend the militarization of the border to the entirety of the
metropolis of Maricopa County, where the Sheriff’s Posse acts as an ‘uber police’ force, overriding
jurisdictions of civil government and community control. We understand that the 287(g) Agreement
now in place with the Sheriff of Maricopa County and the federal government has been implemented
in violation of the constitutional right of Equal Protection and with blatant discriminatory enforcement
tactics by Sheriff Arpaio, and therefore demand that the 287(g) Agreement be cancelled immediately.”
The statement by the Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus given today also stated that “We urge
member states that any and all Free Trade Agreements must recognize, respect and implement
mechanisms for the protection of the rights contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.”
Taking action to implement this recommendation, the Tonatierra delegation has called for the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples,
Professor James Anaya of the University of Arizona, to articulate effective measures to address the
international, regional and historical context of the international border issues and transnational
government economic policies as part of a pattern of systemic human rights violations against the
Indigenous Peoples in the NAFTA territories.
“With the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we stand
at the threshold of a new relationship with the government states of this hemisphere and the world,
constructing a new framework of evaluation for the work of the Permanent Forum and indeed all the
initiatives of the United Nations system”, said Tupac Enrique Acosta of Tonatierra.
Recognizing that United Staes civil rights protections are insufficient to address the international
scope of issues involving Human Rights violations, Tonatierra has launched a campaign to petition
the National Human Rights Commission of the United States to assess and document the situation
on the ground in Arizona. A particular issue of serious concern is the current situation at the
Maricopa County Jail where hundreds of inmates have been engaged in hunger strikes in protest of
the policies of Sheriff Arpaio and incidents of physical abuse, including a lockdown of the facility.
The delegates gathered at the Permanent Forum in New York have called to all members of human
society to recognize the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a
necessary instrument to address comprehensively both the global climate crises and the global
economic crises as an effective mechanism of world peace.
Human Rights Council, and with direct witness and testimony presented by Indigenous Peoples
impacted by international borders, the Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus has today called for the
United Nations Human Rights Council to address human rights violations resulting from immigration
enforcement policies and laws.
Of particular concern to the Indigenous Peoples are border crossing issues and economic policies of
the government states of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regime (Canada-US-
Mexico).
The Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus is a deliberative body of Indigenous Peoples from around the
world convened at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in attendance at the 8th Session of
the annual United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
This year’s session of the Permanent Forum is addressing implementation of the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the UN General Assembly on
September 13th, 2007.
At present time, the United States has yet to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples, although signals from the Obama Administration indicate that a change in
policy in favor of the declaration is being considered, and consultations at the United Nations with
delegations of Indigenous Peoples in New York are in the works.
Among the indigenous representatives attending the 8th Session of the Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues, is a delegation from Arizona that includes representatives of Tonatierra.
Tonatierra presented a report to members of the Permanent Forum on the issues of discriminatory
enforcement and human rights abuses in Maricopa County being perpetrated by Sheriff J. Arpaio, and
immigration enforcement policies such as the 287(g) agreements with the federal government.
Citing from testimony submitted by La Alianza Indigena sin Fronteras, an alliance of Indigenous
Peoples created to address border issues of the southern US border with Mexico, Tonatierra
submitted the following testimony at the United Nations, “We believe that the militarization and
border enforcement policies that have been inflicted upon the territories of our eight Nations of
Indigenous Peoples divided by the U.S.-Mexico border have helped nurture virulent racist nativism in
America, and politicians have used immigration as a wedge issue that has degraded respect for the
civil and human rights of us all.”
The statement from the Alianza Indigena sin Fronteras, which consists of individual tribal members
from the eight southern border indigenous nations with relatives in Mexico, then continued to say
that “The actions of Sheriff Arpaio extend the militarization of the border to the entirety of the
metropolis of Maricopa County, where the Sheriff’s Posse acts as an ‘uber police’ force, overriding
jurisdictions of civil government and community control. We understand that the 287(g) Agreement
now in place with the Sheriff of Maricopa County and the federal government has been implemented
in violation of the constitutional right of Equal Protection and with blatant discriminatory enforcement
tactics by Sheriff Arpaio, and therefore demand that the 287(g) Agreement be cancelled immediately.”
The statement by the Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus given today also stated that “We urge
member states that any and all Free Trade Agreements must recognize, respect and implement
mechanisms for the protection of the rights contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples.”
Taking action to implement this recommendation, the Tonatierra delegation has called for the United
Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples,
Professor James Anaya of the University of Arizona, to articulate effective measures to address the
international, regional and historical context of the international border issues and transnational
government economic policies as part of a pattern of systemic human rights violations against the
Indigenous Peoples in the NAFTA territories.
“With the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we stand
at the threshold of a new relationship with the government states of this hemisphere and the world,
constructing a new framework of evaluation for the work of the Permanent Forum and indeed all the
initiatives of the United Nations system”, said Tupac Enrique Acosta of Tonatierra.
Recognizing that United Staes civil rights protections are insufficient to address the international
scope of issues involving Human Rights violations, Tonatierra has launched a campaign to petition
the National Human Rights Commission of the United States to assess and document the situation
on the ground in Arizona. A particular issue of serious concern is the current situation at the
Maricopa County Jail where hundreds of inmates have been engaged in hunger strikes in protest of
the policies of Sheriff Arpaio and incidents of physical abuse, including a lockdown of the facility.
The delegates gathered at the Permanent Forum in New York have called to all members of human
society to recognize the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a
necessary instrument to address comprehensively both the global climate crises and the global
economic crises as an effective mechanism of world peace.
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TONATIERRA DELEGATION: Eve
Aguirre, President of the Nahuacalli
Neighborhood Association (left.) and
Tupac Enrique Acosta (right,) at the
Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus at
the United Nations headquarters in New
York. Photo: Tonatierra
Aguirre, President of the Nahuacalli
Neighborhood Association (left.) and
Tupac Enrique Acosta (right,) at the
Indigenous Peoples Global Caucus at
the United Nations headquarters in New
York. Photo: Tonatierra
