A group of Democratic lawmakers is demanding immediate action to halt what they describe as “unconscionable” harassment of Native American citizens by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

On Wednesday morning, nine congressional Democrats sent a letter seen by Newsweek to President Donald Trump urging him to direct ICE agents to “stop harassing” Native Americans.

The letter detailed an incident in New Mexico in which an ICE agent reportedly stopped a Tribal citizen at a convenience store and questioned their U.S. citizenship.

Navajo Nation officials told CNN that federal immigration enforcement operations had stopped, questioned or detained at least 15 Indigenous individuals in Arizona and New Mexico during immigration raids that began last week.

As the Trump administration ramps up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, ICE is facing heightened scrutiny. With enforcement operations expanding nationwide, any perceived overreach could lead to legal challenges against immigration enforcement agencies.

Trump made immigration a central theme of his successful presidential campaign, pledging to carry out the largest mass deportation program in U.S. history.

According to a New York Times/Ipsos poll conducted between January 2 and 10, 55 percent of voters were in favor of such plans, and 88 percent backed the removal of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Across party lines, Americans agreed that the immigration system was in need of reform.

In the letter, members of Congress, led by Representative Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico, urged the administration to “take additional actions to prevent racial profiling” and ensure that the rights of Native Americans are respected.

“Targeting Native Americans and questioning their citizenship like we saw in New Mexico last week is not only harassment—it’s un-American,” Fernández told Newsweek.

“Native communities have been an integral part of this land since time immemorial, and every single Tribal citizen has been a U.S. citizen since 1924. ICE’s racial profiling undermines Tribal sovereignty, violates our values, and spreads fear in communities that deserve our respect and protection. That’s why, in this letter, we demand that the Administration end these discriminatory actions immediately and find ways to make sure that no one is targeted simply because of the way they look.”

Newsweek contacted the White House and ICE for further comment via email.

The letter was co-signed by Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Representatives Bennie Thompson, Jared Huffman, Raúl Grijalva, Melanie Stansbury, Gabe Vasquez and Yassamin Ansari.

“Native American Tribal members are United States citizens. Stopping people because of what they look like—with dark skin, Asian, Latino or Native American characteristics is never acceptable,” they wrote.

“ICE’s dangerous behavior of harassing American citizens, seemingly only due to the way they look, is unconstitutional and un-American,” the letter continued.

The lawmakers cited reports of ICE “stopping, detaining, and harassing Native Americans in multiple states,” raising concerns about widespread racial profiling.

“Your Administration’s actions and policies are quickly spreading fear in communities that have existed since time immemorial. It is unconscionable to question their citizenship and cause them to live in fear,” the letter said, adding, “You must put a stop to ICE agents targeting Native Americans.”

The letter also referenced Trump’s recent interview with Fox News, in which he said, “Who would ask for open borders with people pouring in—some of whom, I won’t get into it, but you can look at them, and you can say, ‘Could be trouble.”

The lawmakers said: “Your recent statement that you can tell an immigrant who is ‘trouble’ by the way they ‘look’ suggests that sending ICE agents after our communities is about the color of a person’s skin, not their immigration status.”

Amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts, Native American communities are growing increasingly anxious over reports of federal agents questioning and detaining Tribal members.

Local leaders are sounding the alarm that these actions sow fear and distrust in communities that have long existed.

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a statement, “Recent reports of negative interactions with federal immigration agents have raised concerns that have prompted fear and anxiety among our community members.”