Indigenous actor Elaine Miles says she was recently detained by ICE agents and told her tribal ID looked “fake” during the stop.
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Miles has starred in projects like ‘Northern Exposure,’ ‘Smoke Signals,’ ‘Wyvern,’ and ‘The Last of Us.’ According to The Seattle Times, her run-in with ICE began as she walked to a bus stop in Redmond, Washington, trying to get to Target.
She said four men hopped out of two black SUVs without any front plates. Miles recalled that they all wore masks covering their faces and vests with a “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” label. She said none of them identified themselves, despite asking for names and badge numbers while they detained her. She also said this only kept her worried that they could have been bounty hunters and not real ICE agents.
When the men initially approached her, they demanded to see her identification. So, she pulled out her tribal ID from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon. According to law, federal government agencies must recognize tribal IDs as a valid form of identification.
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Indigenous Actor Elaine Miles Says ‘F**k ICE’ After Masked Agents Detain Her And Call Tribal ID ‘Fake’
Miles has never had any issues traveling back-and-forth with her tribal ID from Canada to Mexico. Despite that fact, one agent called the ID “fake,” and another said, “Anyone can make that. She said she then pointed to the back of the card. It showed a phone number for the Umatilla Tribal enrollment office. She urged the men to “call it,” which they failed to do. So, she took out her phone and called the office herself.
As she dialed the number, the men attempted to take her phone from her, but were unsuccessful. At this point, a fifth ICE agent sitting in one SUV whistled for the agents to retreat. After walking back to their vehicles, the men left the scene.
Despite being let go, Miles said the damages was done. Especially as her son and uncle were both also detained by ICE agents. The son and uncle also presented tribal IDS that were not initially accepted. Eventually, the trio was let go, but Miles is now afraid to leave her home alone or at night. She said her aunt made it a habit for her check in with them at the end of every day.
Following the incident, Miles later took to Facebook to declare, “F**k ICE.” She wrote:
“F**K ICE…I got stopped & showed tribal ID and they said it looked fake 😡. Told them call that number & it will be The Enrollment Office of my tribe. They kept saying ‘anyone can make those, it’s fake.’ I was so mad! I said, ‘Do I sound Mexican, f**k no.’ Then, I got my phone out, ‘I’ll f***in call the Tribe for you.’ They tried taking my phone! Son of a b***hes make me sick & angry! Racist BIGOTS and one of them was Mexican! Told him you’re a disgrace to your people, for all brown people 😡. They suppose to be taking the ‘rapist, felon, robbers, drug n human traffickers’ not women waiting at bus stop 😡. Watch your back in the Eastside of the Emerald City!”
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