Oglala Sioux president walks back claims of DHS pressure, member arrests

Oglala Sioux Tribal President Retracts Claims of ICE Arrests Amid Growing Tensions

The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe has retracted accusations that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested four tribal members in Minneapolis, walking back claims that had intensified concerns about federal immigration enforcement impacting Native American communities.

Tribal President Frank Star Comes Out initially alleged in a Facebook post and memo earlier this week that ICE had detained four tribal members during operations in Minneapolis, where the agency has launched what it describes as its largest operation to date. He further claimed that federal officials had attempted to extract an “immigration agreement” from the tribe in exchange for information about the arrested members, calling the situation “a treaty violation.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) swiftly denied these allegations, stating they could not verify that any of their officers had “arrested or even encountered” members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin emphasized, “ICE did NOT ask the tribe for any kind of agreement, we have simply asked for basic information on the individuals, such as names and date of birth so that we can run a proper check to provide them with the facts.”

In a revised memo issued Thursday, Star Comes Out backtracked, clarifying that his earlier statement had been “misinterpreted.” He explained that the tribe was still “working with Tribal, State, and Federal officials to verify” the reported arrests and that federal officials had merely suggested that “one option for the Tribe to have easier access to information is to enter into an immigration agreement” with ICE and DHS.

Star Comes Out has not responded to repeated requests for comment following the release of his updated memo.

This controversy emerges against a backdrop of growing anxiety within Native American communities regarding potential racial profiling by immigration authorities. Several incidents in recent months have heightened these concerns. Last year, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren reported that tribal citizens had been stopped and detained by ICE officers in Arizona and New Mexico, prompting tribal leaders to advise members to carry tribal identification at all times.

In another incident last November, actress Elaine Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, reported being stopped by ICE officers in Washington state who questioned the authenticity of her tribal ID. Similarly, a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona was mistakenly slated for transfer to ICE after an arrest in Iowa before the error was discovered.

The tensions between the Oglala Sioux and federal authorities have historical context, particularly regarding current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. During her tenure as governor of South Dakota, Noem was banned from Pine Ridge Reservation after making unsubstantiated claims that cartels were infiltrating reservations in the state. She specifically alleged that a gang calling itself the “Ghost Dancers” was affiliated with drug cartels and committing murders on the reservation.

Star Comes Out took particular offense at this reference, noting that the Ghost Dance is one of the tribe’s “most sacred ceremonies” and that Noem’s use of the term was “blatant disrespect and is insulting to our Oyate,” using the Lakota word for “people” or “nation.” By the end of her governorship, Noem had been banned from most of the nine reservations in South Dakota.

The controversy also highlights growing tensions within Native American communities regarding collaboration with federal immigration agencies. Recently, a tribal business entity associated with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation terminated a nearly $30 million federal contract to design immigrant detention centers following intense criticism from tribal members, who questioned how a tribe with its own history of forced relocation could participate in deportation efforts.

Similarly, in Alaska, Indigenous shareholders have advocated for the Bering Straits Native Corporation to divest from immigration detention centers across the country, reflecting broader concerns about tribal entities’ involvement in controversial immigration enforcement activities.

As immigration enforcement continues to intensify nationwide, these incidents underscore the complex intersection of tribal sovereignty, federal authority, and the protection of Indigenous rights in an increasingly polarized political landscape.