Indigenous Peoples' Rights Are Non-Negotiable: 22 Calls to Action for the Trump Administration on Presidents’ Day
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** Indigenous Peoples' Rights Are Non-Negotiable: 22 Calls to Action for the Trump Administration on Presidents’ Day
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Since taking office in January 2025, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders and directed actions that have raised significant concerns over their disproportionate negative impacts on Indigenous people, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and immigrants in the U.S. As an Indigenous-led organization and U.S. registered non-profit, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities and remain committed to advocating for Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and well being. We are actively monitoring these developments and working alongside our partners to challenge policies that threaten Indigenous lands, cultures, and self-determination.

Ensuring that the U.S. government upholds its treaty obligations and respects the rights of Indigenous Peoples is not just a matter of legal and moral responsibility—it is fundamental to strengthening the nation’s integrity, honoring commitments made over centuries, and fostering a more just and inclusive society.

The U.S. Constitution states that treaties signed between Native Nations and the U.S. government are the supreme law of the land, superior to state laws, and, once signed, in effect unless superseded by acts of Congress. To date, there are 574 federally recognized Tribes, or Nations, in the United States, including more than 220 Alaska Native villages.

Tribal Nations, as governmental sovereigns, hold a unique status with the United States based on approximately 374 binding treaties that were ratified ([link removed]) between the United States and Native Nations through 1871. Federal funding programs and regulatory mechanisms that deliver services and facilitate Tribal Nations' sovereignty and self-determination are created by federal laws and policies reinforcing the federal government's obligation to fulfill its responsibility to help and support Native Nations, their citizens, and their institutions.

Recent Actions by the Trump Administration that Raise Serious Concern

Reversal of Indigenous Place Names
Denali ([link removed]) is a traditional Koyukon Athabascan name that means "The High One." After a century of designation as Mount McKinley, in 2015 the Obama administration formally recognized the mountain by its original, Indigenous name. Upon taking office, the Trump administration reversed this change, reinstating the name Mount McKinley. This reversal aligns with broader efforts to undo Indigenous name restorations. Twenty-seven states have names of Indigenous origin, underscoring the deep historical ties of Indigenous Peoples to these lands.

Freezing Funding, Cutting Services, and Laying off Federal Workers
Recent policy shifts have resulted in significant uncertainty regarding federal funding for Native American communities. The suspension or delay of grants and programs supporting Tribal health ([link removed]) , education, and economic development have raised concerns about the long-term impact on Tribal sovereignty
([link removed]) and self-sufficiency. It is estimated that federal layoffs ([link removed]) will affect at least 2,600 federal employees in the Department of the Interior, 118 Bureau of Indian Affairs employees, 40 Bureau of Indian Education employees, and 2 positions within the office of assistant secretary of Indian Affairs.

Impact on Indigenous Education
There are currently 37 Tribal Colleges and Universities serving over 15,000 students across the United States. These institutions provide culturally relevant education, incorporating Native languages, histories, and traditions into their curricula. Recent funding challenges and policy changes have threatened federal support ([link removed]) for these institutions, impacting Indigenous students' access to higher education.

Nixing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives and Federally Recognized Diversity Holidays
Recent executive actions ([link removed]) have aimed at eliminating DEI initiatives within federal agencies, including the removal of training programs that address racial equity and historical injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples. Policies restricting ([link removed]) the recognition and celebration ([link removed]) of Indigenous Peoples' Day and Native American Heritage Month have been circulated across federal agencies.

Policies Affecting Indigenous Lands
A series of executive orders favoring the fossil fuel industry that include removing restrictions on drilling and promoting liquefied natural gas exports is raising concerns about the protection of Native lands from resource extraction. Kathleen Sgamma ([link removed]) , an oil and gas lobbyist who has been involved in Project 2025 ([link removed]) , has been tapped to oversee the Bureau of Land Management. Secretary of the Interior, Douglas Burgum, has executed Trump’s executive orders by announcing a 15-day review of all lands previously withdrawn from resource extraction
([link removed]) under Secretarial Order 3418. In his first term in 2017, when President Trump issued the largest rollback of federal land protections in U.S. history reducing Bears Ears National Monument by 95% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 47%, the process included public comment and Tribal consultation. The new order issued by Secretary Burgum does not.

Questioning Birthright Citizenship
The Trump administration has raised legal questions regarding the birthright citizenship of Native Americans ([link removed]) citing 19th-century legal precedents predating the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans. Recent challenges have suggested a potential reconsideration of their status. Legal scholars and Indigenous advocates argue that such a move could undermine Tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.

Immigration Enforcement Impacting Indigenous People
In the last month, several reports have been made of Tribal members being detained during federal immigration raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Navajo Nation expressed alarm ([link removed]) over these incidents. At least 15 Indigenous people in Arizona and New Mexico were detained or interrogated in their homes or workplaces. Over 8,000 people ([link removed]) have been detained by ICE since President Trump took office, many of whom are Indigenous to Central and South America, where U.S. policies have contributed to political instability and other threats to human well being such as climate change.

Effects on Indigenous Peoples Globally
Indigenous Peoples' rights ([link removed]) around the world are under renewed threat following the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID. The agency’s largest initiative, the Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity, focuses on conservation and improving livelihoods for Indigenous People ([link removed]) . Approximately two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world, is in Brazil.

We call on the Trump administration to recognize that human rights are universal and that Indigenous People’s rights are human rights and collective rights based on inherent sovereignty. These rights are enshrined in international law and policies, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which affirms the rights of Indigenous Peoples to freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development without discrimination.

As an Indigenous-led organization, we carry the strength of our ancestors and the responsibility to protect our lands, water, languages, and future generations. We must choose a path rooted in equity, respect, and justice—one that honors and respects the dignity of all Peoples and rejects exploitation, division, and harm to our communities.

Call to Action: We ask our network, friends, and allies to stand with us to stop the systemic neglect and violations of Indigenous human rights and demand the following actions of the Trump administration, including, but not limited to:

1. Recognizing treaties with Tribal Nations as the supreme law of the land.
2. Establishing a commission to reexamine treaties signed with Tribal Nations and find ways they can be honored and implemented in today’s circumstances by operationalizing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ([link removed]) , including upholding Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in all department consultation practices. Require that the consultation process and government-to-government relationship between the U.S. and Native Nations as well as all Indigenous Peoples incorporate the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

3. Ensuring that implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act ([link removed]) , along with associated support for the production of transition minerals, respects internationally recognized Indigenous rights, including the rights to self-determination and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

4. Drafting a National Action Plan for implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples based on the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Outcome Document ([link removed]) .

5. Establishing a Truth Commission by encouraging the passage of H.R.8420 ([link removed]) Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policy Act.

6. Continuing the measures ([link removed]) taken to reform ([link removed]) the 1872 Mining Law.

7. Ensuring that the 30 x 30 initiative ([link removed]) , which concerns many Indigenous Peoples in the U.S. and globally, prioritizes Indigenous sovereignty and decision making; seeks Free, Prior and Informed Consent; is led by Indigenous Peoples; and recognizes Indigenous Peoples' rights to access, manage, and steward their lands, water, territories, and resources in accordance with Indigenous worldviews, beliefs, traditions, and practices.

8. Continuing to address the demands ([link removed]) submitted to UN Special Rapporteurs by Tribal Nations in Louisiana and Alaska as internally displaced people due to climate change, including upholding their sovereignty to address and mitigate climate change impacts and allocating funding to support this.

9. Securing permanent protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and supporting the reintroduced Arctic Refuge Protection Act ([link removed]) .

10. Protecting Oak Flat from copper mining. ([link removed])
11. Protecting the Black Hills ([link removed]) from unregulated lithium mining.
12. Protecting Thacker Pass ([link removed]) from lithium mining.

13. Securing permanent protection for Mauna Kea ([link removed]) and all other Indigenous sacred sites.

14. Continuing to uphold and prioritize Executive Order 13898 ([link removed]) and the establishment of Operation Lady Justice, which were significant steps toward addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, and take further action to resolve these systemic issues.

15. Respecting the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent by addressing the demands ([link removed]) of the community of Nuisqut to halt the Willow Project ([link removed]) led by ConocoPhillips and alleviate the threat this project poses on the community’s way of life.

16. Declaring a climate emergency ([link removed]) and ensuring Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of creating climate solutions. This includes committing financial resources to climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives by and for Indigenous Peoples through Indigenous-led institutions and funds.

17. Halting the Line 3 Pipeline ([link removed]) , which violates Indigenous Peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

18. Enacting nationwide bans on the use of racist mascots in sports nationwide. ([link removed])

19. Ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women ([link removed]) , Convention on the Rights of the Child ([link removed]) , Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance ([link removed]) , Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ([link removed]) , International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ([link removed]) , Optional Protocol ([link removed]) to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Optional Protocol ([link removed]) to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.

20. Ratifying key international human rights agreements, including ILO Convention 169 ([link removed]) and core UN human rights treaties that protect Indigenous Peoples.

21. Committing to ensuring a Just Transition to a Green Economy ([link removed]) that centers Indigenous Peoples’ rights based on 11 Indigenous Peoples’ Principles and Protocols for Just Transition ([link removed]) by reforming policies and proposed legislation that incentivize the green economy ([link removed]) to incorporate Indigenous Peoples’ rights under international human rights law, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and treaties between the U.S. and Indigenous Nations; requiring that corporations and companies that develop on or near Indigenous lands and territories, both ancestral and presently occupied, obtain the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples; and holding companies accountable to human rights
commitments throughout the supply chain related to electric vehicle production.

22. Committing to promoting and implementing effective actions for the protection and respect of the human rights of Indigenous defenders of their lands, water, and communities globally.

Addressing this non-exhaustive list of 22 calls to action serves as an opportunity for the United States to restore its relationship with Tribal Nations and the lands that we all call home. Following and respecting the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and continuing to increase their representation in leadership positions within your administration will support your efforts to implement these calls to action. We look forward to continuing the important work ahead of protecting Native lands, uplifting Indigenous voices, and ensuring that Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of healing and strengthening our nation.


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Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience since 1972. We envision a future that respects and honors Indigenous Peoples' inherent rights and dynamic cultures, deeply and richly interwoven in lands, languages, spiritual traditions, and artistic expression, rooted in self-determination and self-governance.

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