On Tuesday, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, Frank Star Comes Out, made a strong statement calling for the immediate release of tribal members detained at a homeless encampment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota last week.
Three of the four Oglala Sioux members who were arrested in Minneapolis on Friday have been transferred to an ICE facility located at Fort Snelling. Star Comes Out stated, The Oglala Sioux Tribe’s memorandum makes clear that ‘tribal citizens are not aliens’ and are ‘categorically outside immigration jurisdiction.’” He emphasized that enrolled tribal members are citizens of the United States by statute and citizens of the Oglala Sioux Nation by treaty.
The circumstances surrounding their detention remain unclear, with the tribe reporting that when they reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, they were provided only the first names of the detained men. The agency indicated that further information would require the tribe to enter into an immigration agreement with ICE, which Star Comes Out has vehemently opposed.
In a post on social media, President Star Comes Out revealed that the detained tribal members were living under a bridge in Minneapolis due to homelessness. Following the detainment of the four members, one has since been released. Star Comes Out called for a meeting between the tribe and federal government authorities to discuss the situation and obtain details about the status of the detained individuals.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet issued a response regarding the tribe's requests or the circumstances of the arrests as of Tuesday evening.
