Native American Actress Stopped by ICE: “Your Tribal ID Is Fake”

A troubling incident unfolded in Redmond, Washington, where Native American actress Elaine Miles was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while she was simply walking to a bus stop to go shopping. According to the Seattle Times, the agents claimed she was carrying false identification — even though the document she presented was her tribal ID.

Miles, an Indigenous performer known for her roles in Northern Exposure, Smoke Signals, Wyvern and The Last of Us, handed over her tribal identification card issued by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon. As the newspaper notes, federal agencies recognize tribal IDs as valid identification, and Miles has long used hers to travel in and out of Canada and Mexico without any difficulty.

The agents — wearing tactical vests and masks and driving two black SUVs with no front plates — refused to accept the ID, insisting it was “fake” and that “anyone can make that.”