Grand Chiefs Sky-Deer, Benedict and Connors attending Jay Treaty Border Alliance conference

Three elected Mohawks chiefs from three different councils will attend the 5th annual Jay Treaty Border Alliance Conference being held in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan this week.

Chief Michael Conners, Saint Regis Tribal Council is one of four co-Chairs of the Alliance, along with, Chairperson Jennifer Porter of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and Grand Chief Abram Benedict of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer of Mohawks of Kahnawake.

The first two days of the conference are being held in Windsor. Agenda items include an update on the previous Border Alliance summit held in Ottawa this past April; meetings with Canadian Ministers and Members of Parliament; meetings with representatives of the Canada Border Services Agency; and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Conference will shift across the river to Detroit on Wednesday, where the agenda includes updates on political activities, including advocating for the Tribal Border Crossing Parity Act; and meetings with the Department of Homeland Security.

The Border Alliance was created to address longstanding border crossing issues. It includes numerous nations from both sides of the Canada/U.S. border, who are working to protect Indigenous rights preserved in the Jay Treaty, and to create effective working relationships with both U.S. and Canadian border agencies.

Tribal Chief Michael Conners said, “The purpose of the annual Jay Treaty Border Alliance Summit is to address our shared border crossing issues with other First Nations border communities. Specifically, this week’s meeting is to provide an update on recent meetings with Canadian Ministers and Members of Parliament, as well as the Canada Border Services Agency. We will also share updates on meetings with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and our continued efforts to remove the blood quantum requirement of Section 289 of the Immigration and Nationality Act by enacting the Tribal Border Crossing Parity Act. We want to thank our Canadian and United States officials and government representatives who are joining us to address these issues.”

Grand Chief Abram Benedict stated, “This week in Windsor and Detroit, members of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne are meeting with other First Nation communities at the 5th Annual Jay Treaty Border Alliance. This is a follow-up meeting from a lobby week in April that occurred in Ottawa to educate and lobby Members of Parliament on the need to implement the Jay Treaty. During this week’s meet, Akwesasne will be working with other community leaders to develop the action plan forward and the next steps to lobby Ottawa and the United States for changes to legislation.”