Two tribes entice illegal immigrants

OMAHA, Neb. - For prices starting at $50, two nonfederally recognized Indian tribes are offering membership to thousands of illegal immigrants, saying they can achieve legal status by joining.

But immigration authorities insist that becoming a tribe member gives no protection against being deported. And immigration advocates condemn the practice, saying it defrauds immigrants of money and gives them false hope.

"You can't just decide to become a member of a tribe and all of a sudden legalize your status," said Marilu Cabrera, a spokeswoman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

In Nebraska, some people reported paying up to $1,200 to join the Kaweah Indian Nation, which became the target of a federal investigation after complaints about the tribe arose in at least five states.

Manuel Urbina, the tribe's high chief, acknowledged his group had sold at least 10,000 tribal memberships to illegal immigrants for about $50 each.

"We are not going against the law, we're with the law," he said, saying membership papers could help illegal immigrants avoid being detained by authorities if they were asked for documents.

A Florida man has made similar sales pitches to immigrants on behalf of a North Dakota-based tribe.

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs denied the Kaweah group recognition in 1985, asserting it was not a real tribe. A Kaweah tribe did exist once, but is unrelated to the one that applied for recognition.

John Dossett, a lawyer for the Washington-based National Congress of American Indians, called the group "just a total sham" and compared its membership offer to spam e-mail solicitations.

Angel Freytez, of the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission, said advocates had fielded complaints about the group from immigrants in Kansas, California, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma.