Tesuque Pueblo's new policy has immigrant rights advocates seething.
A week after news broke that the Tesuque Trailer Village is forcing residents to provide legal documentation, the tribal council released a statement about the new requirement.
---
TTV residents who can't provide documentation will have to relocate by June 30, 2012, according to the statement.
"Tribal Council has the right to know and to determine who resides within the exterior boundaries of its reservation." the statement says.
It also says the Pueblo has the "legal right to know and to determine who resides within the exterior boundaries of its reservation."
Requiring documentation to rent is against state and federal law, but the Pueblo says they're a sovereign nation "with inherent powers to enact and enforce laws and manage and control its lands."
The decision has left immigrant advocates up in arms. Many are unsure about the level of recourse TTV residents have to challenge the rule, if any.
Though the statement acknowledges requiring proof of legal status is an "extremely sensitive issue" and a "difficult decision," it doesn't explain much of a reasoning behind the decision. Some residents speculate that maintaining a good image with the federal government is behind it. The Pueblo receives federal grants.
Read the statement below:
