Twin Cities Native American community members share resources, support amid ICE operations
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The president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, a tribal nation in South Dakota, put out a statement late Thursday night saying that four tribal members living in Minneapolis have been detained by ICE.
President Frank Star Comes Out says four unhoused men were living under a bridge near Little Earth. Little Earth of United Tribes is a Housing and Urban Development-subsidized housing complex in Minneapolis near the intersection of 24th Street and Cedar Avenue South.
Star Comes Out says a bystander, who is also a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, confirmed their tribal membership but did not get their names. The statement went on to say that the Oglala Sioux Tribe is seeking additional information and is reaching out to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for assistance.
“The tribe stands ready to work with her and other officials to provide enrollment documents and otherwise work toward their release,” the statement reads.
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Flanagan confirmed with MPR News on Friday that her office is working with the tribe to help locate the four men.
A member of Flanagan’s staff pointed out that the online tool for locating an individual within an ICE detention center requires identifying an individual’s country of birth from a dropdown list. The staff member said the online tool is not a viable option for locating the four Native American men.
Flanagan’s office put out a statement a short time later.
“The obvious racial profiling happening in our community is disgraceful. My heart breaks to hear what’s happening, and it pisses me off,” said Flanagan.
MPR News has reached out to ICE for comment on the incident.
Native American leaders provide guidance to the community
Native American community leaders and members gathered on Friday in south Minneapolis to share prayer, support and solidarity amid the surge of ICE operations.
Robert Lilligren, CEO of the Native American Community Development Institute, said Native American community members have increasingly been questioned and detained by ICE.
“We are not any safer because of this federal presence here in our city and in our community,” Lilligren said.
Rachel Dionne-Thunder, a member of the Indigenous Protectors Movement, announced that she and other members of a community patrol will open the Native American Community Development Institute building and parking lot as a headquarters for patrol operations.
A video posted to social media midweek showed ICE agents lining the sidewalk outside Little Earth as residents attempted to inform agents that the housing complex, with more than 200 units, is home to a large Native American community.
Another video circulating on social media Thursday showed a young man, who identified himself as Native American, dragged from his car by ICE agents. The man was detained by ICE shortly after he and his aunt were stopped and questioned in the parking lot of a Hy-Vee in Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis. The young man, who is a descendant of the Red Lake Nation, says he was released the same day, several hours after the incident began, according to a report from ICT.
During Friday’s gathering, Red Lake Nation Secretary Sam Strong addressed the incident.
“We have over 8,000 tribal members who live in the Twin Cities, and we're going to protect each and every one of them and our descendants. And so, if you have any information of tribal members from Red Lake being detained, or descendants or family members, contact us,” Strong said.
Several tribes in Minnesota have made statements condemning ICE operations and encouraging citizens to carry tribal identification.
Nikki Love, the executive director of the Tiwahe Foundation, said she and other leaders had been in contact with the Native American Rights Fund, a national nonprofit legal organization, to help provide guidance to Native people who feel they may have been profiled by federal immigration agents. The nonprofit legal advocacy organization released an informational factsheet for Native Americans who may encounter federal immigration agents.
As of Saturday, a member of Flanagan’s staff said there are no new updates regarding the four men from the Oglala Sioux Tribe who are said to have been detained by ICE.
Clarification (Jan. 11, 2026): Story is updated to reflect Flanagan staffer position.
