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Senators Demand Accountability Amid Reports of ICE Questioning Native Americans

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U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.)  has penned a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemning the treatment of Native Americans at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
 
The letter comes on the heels of a widely reported incident in which  Native American actress Elaine Miles (Cayuse, Nez Perce) was questioned by ICE agents. A citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Miles was stopped by agents in early November while waiting at a bus stop in Redmond, Wash. When she presented her tribal ID, the agents assumed it was fake and refused to call the Tribal enrollment office number listed on the card to verify Miles’ citizenship.
 
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The letter refers to the incident but does not name Miles.
 
Murray points to another letter, sent to Noem in February and signed by more than a dozen lawmakers calling on the Secretary to consult with Tribal Nations and release information on which forms of identification agents require from citizens of federally recognized tribes.
 
Noem responded that ICE agents are not trained to require any specific documentation to prove U.S. citizenship. The recent letter urges Noem to require ICE agents to be trained in recognizing Tribal IDs. It also asks the secretary to provide information on policies regarding interactions with Tribal citizens and governments, and to explain the Department’s apparent racial profiling of tribal members.
 
ICE was launched in 2003 with the birth of the DHS in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A flurry of executive orders by President Donald Trump in January emboldened DHS to increase deportation activities, resulting in a record-breaking number of people being placed in immigration detention centers across the U.S. According to the most recent reports by DHS, ICE has deported more than 605,000 people from the U.S., although that number has been disputed.
 
Almost immediately after the EOs, some citizens of federally recognized tribes reported being questioned by ICE agents. Many tribes have released guidelines to prepare citizens for interacting with agents, urging them to carry their tribal ID cards at all times.
 
Along with Murray, the letter is also signed by Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-Colo.); Maria Ellen Cantwell (D- Wash.); Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.); Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico); Tim Kaine (D-Virg.); Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico); Jeff Merkley (D-Oreg); Alex Padilla (D-Calif.); Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii); Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.)
The letter requests a response from Noem no later than January 11, 2026.
 
 
 
 

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About The Author
Elyse Wild
Author: Elyse WildEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Senior Health Editor
Elyse Wild is Senior Health Editor for Native News Online, where she leads coverage of health equity issues including mental health, environmental health, maternal mortality, and the overdose crisis in Indian Country. Her award-winning journalism has appeared in The Guardian, McClatchy newspapers, and NPR affiliates. In 2024, she received the inaugural Excellence in Recovery Journalism Award for her solutions-focused reporting on addiction and recovery in Native communities. She is currently working on a Pulitzer Center-funded series exploring cultural approaches to addiction treatment.