- Details
- By Levi Rickert
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) last week passed two emergency resolutions responding to federal immigration enforcement activities and ICE detention centers impacting Native Americans across the country.
The resolutions were introduced during NCAI’s Executive Council Winter Session in Washington and were voted on last week by the organization’s Executive Committee.
The action follows alarming reports from Tribal leaders and citizens nationwide.
“Tribal leaders have reported to NCAI that they have multiple reports from Tribal citizens who reside within these urban centers of being temporarily detained and questioned by federal immigration officers due to their perceived ethnicity while in an urban center subject to increased immigration enforcement activity,”
One of the resolutions specifically lists Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago and Minneapolis as four urban as locations where Native Americans have been impacted by federal immigration tactics. The resolution says the immigration efforts have left many American Indians within these urban centers vulnerable to increased interaction with federal immigration officers
Tribal citizens have also reported being temporarily detained by individuals identifying themselves as DHS and ICE officers who refused to accept a Tribally issued government photo identification. In some cases, individuals remained detained until they could produce additional non-Tribal government identification.
Further compounding the issue, Tribal leaders reported that it has been nearly impossible to properly document and report these encounters because of DHS and ICE policies allowing federal officers to cover their faces and decline to provide individual officer identification during these interactions — limiting accountability and preventing follow-up regarding the temporary detention of U.S. citizens.
In response, NCAI passed two emergency resolutions:
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“Calling on the Department of Homeland Security to Consult with Tribal Governments Regarding Immigration Enforcement Activities and Expanding Immigration Detention Centers Impacting Tribes and American Indian Communities.” Read Resolution.
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“Request for Department of Homeland Security to Conduct Technical Training Regarding Use of Tribal Identification Card as Valid Government Issued Identification.” Read Resolution.
Together, the resolutions demand federal consultation, recognition of Tribal sovereignty, and immediate corrective action to ensure Tribal citizens are not unlawfully detained or subjected to discriminatory enforcement practices.
Resolutions considered during the winter session must be “emergency in nature and national in scope.” At this year’s 2026 Executive Council Winter Session, NCAI received ten resolutions, with the Executive Committee recommending adoption of four.
On the Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, while NCAI was in session in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE does not target Native Americans and has not conducted operations on tribal lands, responding to concerns raised by tribal leaders about enforcement activities and recognition of tribal identification. However, her statement did not address Native Amreicans who live in urban areas who have reported by harassed, detained, and even arrested by ICE agents.
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