“I am the President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, which includes seventeen federally recognized Indian tribes.

Recently, I was made aware that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained four Oglala Sioux tribal members in Minneapolis, Minnesota. These individuals are homeless and were living under a bridge near the Little Earth Housing Complex in the East Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.

When the Oglala Sioux Tribe requested more information concerning this matter, federal officials informed us that the Tribe could access that information only if we entered into an immigration agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Tribe does not intend to enter into any immigration agreement with ICE or the Department of Homeland Security, whether pursuant to § 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 25 U.S.C. § 2804(e), or otherwise. We will not enter into any agreement that would authorize, or make it easier for, ICE or Homeland Security to enter our tribal homeland to arrest or detain our tribal members.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe. We have a treaty-based, nation-to-nation relationship with the United States. We are entitled to information from federal agencies concerning our tribal citizens, and we should not be required to enter into an immigration agreement with ICE to obtain that information.

Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are United States citizens. We are the First Americans. We are not undocumented immigrants, and we are not subject to unlawful immigration enforcement actions by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe hereby issues formal notice to the United States Government, including ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and all subordinate agencies, that any detention of Oglala Sioux tribal members under immigration authority constitutes a grave violation of tribal treaties, statutory law, and the constitutional rights of a sovereign people.

Tribal members are not aliens. They are not subject to immigration enforcement or detention. They are citizens of this land by treaty, by statute, and by history.”

— Frank Star Comes Out, President

Oglala Sioux Tribe

(We will be following updates on the detained tribal members and thank OST President for his leadership during this challenging time.)

Read more on the official Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) Facebook page.