By The Circle
ICE Detains Native Actor, Questions Valid Tribal ID
Redmond, WA – Elaine Miles, a Native American actress best known for her role on the television series “Northern Exposure,” says she was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in late November while walking to a bus stop in Redmond, Wash. According to Miles, four masked agents approached her and demanded identification. She presented her official tribal ID issued by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon.
Miles said the agents told her the ID “looked fake” and refused her offer to call the enrollment office number listed on the card for verification. When she attempted to make the call herself, one agent allegedly tried to take her phone. She was released without arrest after several minutes.
Advocates for tribal citizenship rights condemned the incident as racial profiling and a failure by federal authorities to recognize Indigenous sovereignty. Tribal IDs are recognized forms of legal identification under federal law.
Miles said the incident was frightening but not unique — her son and uncle have both reported similar encounters in the past. She expressed concern for Native people who might be detained longer or face legal consequences simply because officers do not understand tribal documentation. Civil rights groups have called for ICE to improve training on Native identity and tribal documentation standards.
Native Children Returned Home/Carlisle Cemetery
Carlisle, PA – Seventeen Native American children buried at the former Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania were returned to their tribal homelands in November, marking another step in nationwide efforts to repatriate children who died during the U.S. boarding school era.
The children — including some of the first enrolled at the school in 1879 — had been taken far from their families as part of federal assimilation policies intended to eliminate Indigenous culture and identity. They died of illnesses such as tuberculosis and meningitis and were buried on school grounds with minimal documentation.
Sixteen of the children were returned to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and laid to rest in Concho. One child from the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma was reburied in Wewoka. Tribal leaders said the homecomings bring long-needed closure for families who were deprived of the ability to mourn and maintain cultural burial traditions.
Since repatriation efforts began in 2017, more than 50 children have been returned from Carlisle. Over 100 graves remain, and many identities are still unconfirmed. Tribal governments and federal officials say the work will continue until every child is identified and returned home.
Shutdown Exposed Fragile Funding for Tribal Services
Washington DC – The 2025 federal government shutdown, which began October 1 and lasted for 6 weeks (the lonest in history), created immediate disruptions across Indian Country. Tribal governments rely heavily on federal funding for essential services including housing, policing, education, food programs and cultural preservation. When operations froze, those programs stalled.
Many tribes were forced to use emergency reserves to keep critical functions running. Others issued furloughs or delayed projects tied to federal grants. The shutdown did not interrupt Indian Health Service operations, but smaller programs — such as housing assistance and elder services — faced cuts or temporary closures.
Advocacy groups said the shutdown highlighted ongoing weaknesses in how the U.S. funds treaty and trust obligations. Most tribal programs are supported through discretionary appropriations, making them vulnerable to political standoffs. Tribal leaders and policy experts argue funding should be mandatory, not negotiable, to respect legal commitments made to Native nations.
The shutdown lasted weeks and left long-term concerns about preparedness for future political disruptions.
Policy Shift Raise Concerns as Food Aid Tightens
Washington DC – Tribal nations expressed growing concern in November as federal food assistance programs faced reductions linked to the prolonged U.S. government budget fight. Many Native communities already experience food insecurity at higher-than-average rates, and cuts to programs such as SNAP and school nutrition services quickly translated into greater hardship.
At the same time, community development financial institutions that support Native-owned businesses struggled with the after-effects of the shutdown, including staffing shortages and lost grant opportunities.
One area of progress came through renewed congressional conversation around the Truth and Healing Commission bill, aimed at addressing the legacy of federal Indian boarding schools. Advocates said progress on long-term reforms cannot come at the expense of immediate needs such as food support and stable funding for tribal governance.
Policy watchdogs warned that without sustained federal attention — and recognition of tribal sovereignty — communities could face deeper inequity heading into 2026.
