November 28, 2025
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles says she was walking to a bus stop in Redmond, Wash. when four men wearing masks and vests labeled “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” stepped out of two unmarked black SUVs and demanded her identification, according to an account she shared on social media and in reporting by The Seattle Times.
Currents
Happy December. Here are some of the stories you may have missed during the long Thanksgiving weekend: Indigenous Actor Elaine Miles Reports Detention by Alleged ICE Agents Indigenous actor Elaine Miles says she was walking to a bus stop in Redmond, Wash. when four men wearing masks and vests labeled “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” stepped out of two unmarked black SUVs and demanded her identification, according to an account she shared on social media and in reporting by The Seattle Times. Miles — best known for her roles in Northern Exposure , Smoke Signals , Wyvern and The Last of Us — said she handed the men her tribal ID from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Ore. Tribal IDs are recognized by federal agencies, and Miles has used hers to travel across the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders without issue, The Seattle Times reported. But Miles said one of the men dismissed the card as “fake,” while another told her, “Anyone can make that.” Encounters between immigration agents and Indigenous people remain uncommon. Still, as immigration enforcement has intensified in the Seattle area, Miles’ experience has heightened concerns among Native communities, according to The Seattle Times . She said both her son and her uncle were previously detained by ICE agents who initially refused to accept their tribal IDs before releasing them. Read the entire article. Tribal IDs Are Federally Recognized. ICE Agents Are Ignoring Them. Native Americans — whose ancestors were the first inhabitants of this land — are being stopped by masked ICE agents across the country. Why? Because some agents see darker-skinned individuals as potential undocumented immigrants based solely on appearance. It’s an assault on identity, on tribal sovereignty, and on basic human dignity. Our most-read article on Native News Online this week involved Native American actress Elaine Miles, who was detained by four ICE agents while walking to a bus stop in Redmond, Wash., near Seattle. Read the entire article. San Manuel Tribe Reclaims Ancestral Name, Faces Vandalism on Holiday This past April, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians formally reclaimed its ancestral name, now identifying as the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. The tribe highlighted its reclaimed name on a billboard along Interstate 10, a heavily traveled corridor, to raise awareness of the change. Early on Thanksgiving Day, the billboard was vandalized with an anti-Indigenous message and an American flag draped over the left portion. The message read: "America is not on stolen land. Your ancestors were conquered. Happy Thanksgiving." Read the entire article.
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Across the country today, museums are being forced to reckon with the truth. For centuries, most mainstream museums were built from taking — taking objects, taking stories, taking lands. They displayed the Ancestors of Native Nations under the banner of “education,” while silencing the very Peoples those Ancestors came from.
Opinion
Opinion. During last year’s Idaho election, a Republican state senator lost his composure when a candidate forum turned to the topic of racism.
Guest Opinion. The first Thanksgiving I remember, I was in the second grade. I didn’t know my teacher had asked my dad to come talk to the class. When he walked in, I was embarrassed to see him there. He said that white people came and didn’t know how to survive on this land, so we helped them out, then celebrated with a meal. It was a story I’d heard in school before, but not at home.
Sovereignty
SAN FRANCISCO — About 2,500 people were ferried from Pier 33 to Alcatraz Island before dawn Thursday for the annual Indigenous Peoples Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering and commemorates the 1969–71 occupation of Alcatraz by Native activists.
This past April, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians formally reclaimed its ancestral name, now identifying as the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation.
Education
In wake of Tuesday's announcement that the Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, the American Indian College Fund is warning that the Trump administration’s plan to transfer more than a dozen federal education programs to other agencies could jeopardize Native students’ access to critical services and undermine the federal government’s trust and treaty obligations.
Little Priest Tribal College has received a $5 million gift from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation (Yield Giving), the largest donation in the institution’s history since its founding in 1996.
Arts & Entertainment
The metal cattle guard hits with a loud thump, introducing miles of bumpy clay-red dirt roads that bring me closer to my return from the city to family in Zuni Pueblo.
This Native American Heritage Month, Native News Online is celebrating by sharing our favorite Native American actors, movies, TV shows, books, chefs, musicians, artists, and fashion designers. In Hollywood, Native actors are rewriting the narrative and proving that authentic representation matters.
Health
Environment
Leaders of the Chilkat Indian Village of Klukwan and the conservation group Chilkat Forever are warning the new owners of the Palmer mine project that they will face “sustained and unyielding opposition” if they pursue hardrock mining in the Chilkat Valley.
Two South Texas tribes and a local environmental group are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to revoke a federal permit for a proposed export terminal at Donnel Point, saying new environmental and cultural findings invalidate the original approval.