On January 13, the Oglala Sioux Tribe announced that three men remained in custody after being transferred to ICE custody.
Protests continue for nearly a week after the shooting in Minneapolis
Federal agents clashed with demonstrators in St. Paul and Minneapolis on Tuesday (January 13), nearly a week after the shooting death of Renee Good by federal agents, as demonstrations continued outside federal buildings and in communities.
Federal agents have detained several Native Americans as the Trump administration ramps up immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
The detention of at least five men in and around Minneapolis has sparked an outcry among Native American groups who say they are being racially characterized as illegal immigrants by federal immigration officials. Minneapolis is one of the largest urban centers for Native Americans.
“It’s very unpleasant and ironic that the first people who lived on this land would be asked questions about their citizenship,” said Jacqueline de Leon, senior staff attorney at the nonprofit Native American Rights Fund and a member of Isleta Pueblo. “Yet, that’s exactly what we’re seeing.”
USA TODAY previously spoke with Native Americans who fear being caught at the start of President Donald Trump’s effort to arrest and deport millions of immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally. Incidents against indigenous peoples appear to be on the rise.
On January 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 20-year-old Jose Roberto “Beto” Ramirez, a descendant of the Red Lake Nation, during a traffic stop filmed by his aunt outside Minneapolis. He has since been released and has not been charged as of Jan. 9, Indian Country Today reported.
ICE said in a statement that Ramirez “violently assaulted” an ICE officer during a “high-risk immigration enforcement operation.” The investigation is ongoing, ICE said.
On the same day as Ramirez’s arrest, Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman Frank Starr Comes Cummings announced that four tribal members had been taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a Jan. 8 Facebook post, he said the four men were homeless and had been sleeping under a bridge near the Little Earth housing project.
On January 13, the Oglala Sioux Tribe announced that three of the men remained in custody after being transferred to the ICE detention center in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. One man was released.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe said in a memorandum that the men’s detention violates “tribal compacts, written law, and the constitutional rights of a sovereign people.” When the tribe tried to request more information, federal officials said the tribe could access more information if it entered into an agreement with ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, according to the memo.
“This is not a matter of misunderstanding or executive discretion,” Star Comes Out said in a statement. “This is a violation of treaties. Treaties are not voluntary. Sovereignty has no conditions. Our people are not subject to negotiation.”
Neither ICE nor DHS immediately responded to emailed questions about the case or the tribe’s memorandum.
Star Comes Out, along with other tribal leaders, published information on what to do if a Native American is approached or detained by ICE. The Native American Rights Fund also published a “Know Your Rights” flyer. In the Southwest, Navajo leaders last January advised their citizens to carry proof of Indian parentage or tribal identification. The groups also expanded the hours for distributing tribal identification cards.
Carolyn LaPorte, a staff attorney at the Indian Law Resource Center and a descendant of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, said tribal citizens can use tribal identification cards as proof of citizenship, but many federal employees are unaware of them. LaPorte said some people may have difficulty showing identification, especially if they have experienced homelessness.
He added that recent stops of Native Americans also point to so-called “Kavanaugh stops,” citing a Sept. 8 Supreme Court ruling that allows ICE to use race, accent, occupation and location to detain people. Justice Brett Kavanaugh largely supported ICE sweeps in Los Angeles that indiscriminately targeted Latinos suspected of being in the country illegally.
“Why are Indigenous people detained? It’s because they’re brown,” LaPorte said. “That’s it. The racial profiling part of that incident got everyone excited.”
The day before Ramirez’s suspension, the Red Lake Tribal Council issued recommendations on Jan. 7 regarding the Trump administration’s enforcement actions in Minnesota. “We all need to be extra careful and assume that ICE will not protect us,” the advisory states.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
