Tuesday, March 10, 2026

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A second funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) narrowly passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) sought to create a safeguard for tribes getting caught up in immigration crackdowns.

Rep. Grijalva has been regularly meeting with tribal leaders from across southern Arizona, like the Pascua Yaqui, Tohono O’odham, and Gila River. She says they are all telling her the same thing.

“DHS must consult with tribes. They’re not doing it now. This administration doesn’t honor sovereignty.”

Grijalva proposed an amendment to the funding bill that would have required U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to consult with tribes before conducting immigration enforcement on their land, but her effort to attach that requirement to a DHS funding bill failed.

“They’re all concerned with the presence of ICE and how they are profiling their members because, you know, they might look like working people who have darker skin.”

Meanwhile, Kristi Noem has been ousted by President Donald Trump as DHS secretary. He named U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee/R-OK) as her replacement.

“Removing Noem doesn’t root out the lawlessness at ICE. Maybe leadership style might be different, but the end goal is still the same.”

Ketchikan-based artist Savannah LeCornu was selected as this year’s poster artist for the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau, Alaska. (Courtesy Jason Baldwin)

Ketchikan, Alaska-based artist Savannah LeCornu was recently selected as this year’s poster artist for the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau.

The annual spring event seeks art submissions from Alaska creatives for festival merchandise, including its promotional poster.

KRBD’s Hunter Morrison sat down with LeCornu to discuss how the opportunity will help expand representation of Indigenous artists throughout Alaska.

Hunter Morrison: Can you tell me a little bit about what inspires your work as an artist?

Savannah LeCornu: I’m an Indigenous artist. I’m part of three different tribes. I’m Tsimshian, Haida and Nez Perce. So a lot of my inspiration comes from the art styles of my tribes, as well as my family, surroundings, environment, friends, that kind of thing.

HM: Can you tell me a little bit more about what mediums of art you specialize in?

SL: Yeah. So mainly I draw and I paint. I do a lot of traditional drawing, but I also do digital drawing as well. So, working with Procreate on my iPad. And then I also do painting, mainly acrylic, but I have done watercolor here and there.

HM: You were selected as this year’s poster artist for the Alaska Folk Festival. Do you have a design yet for that poster? Or, do you have ideas of what that design might look like?

SL: I don’t know how secret they are with it. I will say my inspirations were some of my favorite musicians in Alaska, as well as the northern lights.

HM: How will this opportunity expand not only your work as an artist, but expand the celebration of Indigenous people and Indigenous art?

SL: Wow, what a great question. What I’m hoping for with being the artist for this year’s folk fest is that my art gets started to be seen more widely throughout Alaska. I will say it’s not my most obvious Indigenous design. I will say all of my art inherently becomes Indigenous because I am Indigenous, but at the same time, there’s no form line in it. There’s no traditional Native art in it for this design. But I still hope that means that people look into my own art and see more of what I do, and that people just explore more of it.

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Check out today’s Native America Calling episode