The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, Frank Star Comes Out, has called for the immediate release of tribal members who were detained at a homeless encampment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last week in Minnesota.
Three of the four detained members from the Oglala Sioux Tribe were arrested in Minneapolis on Friday before being transferred to an ICE facility at Fort Snelling.
“Our memorandum clarifies that ‘tribal citizens are not aliens’ and are ‘categorically outside immigration jurisdiction,'” stated Star Comes Out. He emphasized that enrolled tribal members are U.S. citizens by statute and citizens of the Oglala Sioux Nation by treaty.
Details surrounding the conditions leading to their detention are presently unclear. In the memorandum addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Star Comes Out indicated that when the tribe reached out for more information, they were only provided with the first names of the men. Further details were withheld unless the tribe entered into an immigration agreement with ICE, which Star Comes Out rejected outright.
In a Facebook post, the tribal president revealed that the four detained individuals are experiencing homelessness and residing under a bridge in Minneapolis. One of them has since been released from custody. The tribe is now demanding clarity regarding the status of the remaining three men in detention, a call for all tribal citizens held by ICE to be released, and a meeting with government representatives to address these issues.
DHS did not respond immediately to a request for comment regarding the matter.
