Red Lake Nation restricts ICE entry onto tribal lands

The Red Lake Nation Tribal Council unanimously passed a resolution restricting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration agents from entering tribal lands without a court order signed by a federal judge, according to MPR News. The resolution also requires agents to meet with the tribe’s public safety director and be accompanied by a tribal public safety officer while on the reservation.

The resolution was approved in mid-January and cites concerns about immigration agents stopping and arresting Native Americans in northwestern Minnesota, according to MPR News. There have been no reports of ICE agents on the Red Lake Reservation, which is located about 30 miles north of Bemidji. The resolution also prohibits ICE agents from fishing on portions of Lower and Upper Red Lake within reservation boundaries. Red Lake Nation legal director Joe Plumer said the measure aims to ensure non-tribal members comply with tribal laws and regulations, according to MPR News.