Lawmaker says ICE, CBP racially profile and detain tribal citizens; calls Noem's denial "a pure lie"

A lawmaker said in recorded remarks that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are racially profiling and detaining tribal citizens in the lawmaker’s district and that tribal members fear using tribal identification.

"There are 12 tribal nations in my district," the lawmaker said, adding that they had heard concerns from many tribal citizens that "ICE and CBP are racially profiling tribal citizens and detaining them, people who are indigenous to this country." The lawmaker said some tribal parents tell them they are sending their children to school with tribal IDs "out of safety and fear."

The lawmaker also said that when tribal members show tribal ID cards to ICE and CBP officers, "those officers lack any understanding of tribal ID cards." The speaker accused federal officials of insufficient training or awareness in handling tribal documentation.

The remarks directly challenged a written statement the lawmaker said came from "Secretary Noem." According to the lawmaker, that letter told tribal leaders that "no enrolled tribal citizen has been detained and that no ICE operations have occurred on tribal lands." The lawmaker rejected that assertion: "And this is a pure lie," the lawmaker said, adding that the secretary was calling tribal citizens who have spoken out "liars."

The transcript contains the lawmaker’s allegations and the lawmaker’s characterization of Secretary Noem’s letter; the transcript does not record a response from ICE, CBP, tribal leaders, or Secretary Noem. The remarks in the transcript do not include cited evidence such as arrest records, dates, or named detained individuals.

The lawmaker’s statements highlight tensions between tribal communities and federal immigration enforcement in the district, including concerns about officers’ recognition of tribal identification and the safety of tribal children attending school. No formal motion or vote regarding the allegations was recorded in the transcript.

The lawmaker’s remarks were the most recent factual development recorded in the transcript; no further procedural steps, investigations, or official responses appear in the provided segments.