Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested three people during a traffic stop near the Akimel Smoke Shop — just a few miles from Chandler — within the Gila River Indian Community earlier this month.
Now, the Valley tribe’s leader shared that latest encounter stoked fear.
Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis claims the tribe made a deal allowing federal agents to conduct activities on their sovereign lands — so long as they first notify the Gila River Police Department.
But tribal officers will not assist.
“Now with this recent incursion, that agreement clearly broke down and needed to be urgently and directly and clearly addressed,” said Lewis in a Friday video message on social media.
Upon learning the facts surrounding this recent incident, Lewis also revealed that he contacted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to “register our strong objection to what had happened.”
“And to their credit, they understood immediately that this was a genuine problem,” added Lewis, “and arranged that same day to put our new chief of police in touch with the local, regional ICE leadership.”
None of the apprehended men are reportedly tribal members.
Still, Lewis pledges to call DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a former Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma, “to ensure that this message is heard and respected.”
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