Enrolled members of Alaska’s largest tribal government are getting enhanced photo IDs.
They can be used for border crossings and some other situations where official identification is necessary.
But many other tribes can’t afford them.
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska counts more than 30,000 members in and outside the state.
It’s issued photo ID cards for more than a dozen years. But Central Council President Richard Peterson said the enhanced ones are more secure.
“These new IDs can’t really be replicated,” Peterson said. “They have a hologram, kind of like the state ID has done. (And) TSA prefers having the enhanced cards,” he said.
The IDs have been required for several years by the Department of Homeland Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
Jacqueline Pata is executive director of the National Congress of American Indians. She’s also a Central Council vice president.
“Unfortunately, not a lot of tribes have been able to do it because it’s quite costly,” Pata said. “It’s kind of like one of those unfunded mandates from the (federal) government. So, unless they’re able to get other resources – some tribes have been able to get some grant monies – but most tribes have had to fund it themselves.”
Enhanced IDs are particularly necessary for tribal governments near Mexico and Canada, Pata said.
“So many tribes are border tribes and our culture doesn’t stop because border lines were drawn,” Pata said.
The Central Council said the new IDs’ security enhancements will help protect personal data and reduce the risk of counterfeiting.
Council members can apply for the new cards through the organization’s website.
Peterson said they can mail in a photo or catch up with council officials as they travel the region.
“We try to get to our largest population bases for sure and get those done,” Peterson said. “And then we do community visits and then we’ll bring our equipment there because they can print them on site.”
The new Central Council ID cards are good for five years, after which they must be replaced.
Ed Schoenfeld is Regional News Director for CoastAlaska, a consortium of public radio stations in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
