Noem tells tribes ICE does not profile Native Americans
The federal government told tribal nations that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have not racially profiled Native Americans during recent enforcement operations, according to MPR News. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem sent a letter Thursday to officials from more than 500 federally recognized tribes stating ICE “does not target, and will not target, Native Americans or any U.S. Citizens based on appearance, ethnicity, or community affiliation.” She affirmed tribal IDs as valid identification and encouraged Native people to also show a valid state driver’s license, passport or state identification card if approached by federal law enforcement. A DHS tribal adviser confirmed to MPR News that the letter was emailed to tribal leaders.
The statement was posted on social media by Stephen Lewis, president of the Gila River Indian Community. In the letter, Noem said “there have not been any ICE operations on tribal lands” and said she was “disappointed” when some tribal leaders moved to ban ICE from reservations. In mid-January, the Red Lake Nation Tribal Council passed a resolution prohibiting ICE and other federal immigration agents from entering Red Lake tribal lands without a court order signed by a federal judge, according to MPR News.
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