Respect Tribal IDs Act of 2026

This bill mandates comprehensive training for all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration enforcement officers and employees. Within 180 days, the DHS Secretary, in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal representatives, must develop curricula focusing on appropriate protocols for interacting with enrolled tribal members. A key objective is to ensure officers can identify and accept Native American tribal documents as valid proof of United States citizenship, alongside understanding the U.S. government's Indian trust responsibility . The required training curricula will include scenario-based exercises, the development of a database with examples of tribal documents, and regional information on Indian tribes. Officers are prohibited from performing immigration enforcement duties without completing this training for their assigned region, and annual retraining is also mandated. Furthermore, the Secretary of Homeland Security must submit a report to Congress within one year detailing the development and implementation of these crucial training standards.