Native American actress Elaine Miles was on her way to catch a bus in Redmond, Washington, planning a quick shopping trip, when two black SUVs suddenly pulled up beside her. Four men wearing masks and ICE vests jumped out, demanding to see her ID. What followed left the longtime actress stunned, and furious.
Miles, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, showed her tribal identification card, the same one she’s used for border crossings into Canada and Mexico. Instead of accepting it, one of the men dismissed it as “fake.” Another added, “Anyone can make that.”
It made no difference when she explained that tribal IDs are recognized by the federal government. Miles even pointed out the phone number for her tribe’s enrollment office printed on the back of the card, urging them to verify it. They refused. When she tried to make the call herself, she says the men reached for her phone. Then, just as abruptly as it began, a fifth man whistled from one of the SUVs, and the group backed off, got in their vehicles, and drove away.
Miles was left shaken and shared the encounter on Facebook, saying she was “so mad,” calling the men “racist bigots,” and criticizing them for harassing women at a bus stop instead of addressing real crimes.
Indigenous actress Elaine Miles of “Northern Exposure” was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake. https://t.co/xMqSYZVkYp
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) November 27, 2025
Her post quickly gained attention, especially within Native communities, where people said her story reflected a growing pattern. Gabriel Galanda, a Seattle-based Indigenous rights attorney, said Miles’ experience looked like clear racial profiling. He claimed that people with darker skin are questioned and confronted in ways white residents rarely are, and that the agents’ refusal to recognize a legitimate tribal ID revealed a troubling ignorance of tribal sovereignty.
Miles said it wasn’t an isolated incident as both her son and her uncle had been stopped by ICE agents in separate encounters, during which their tribal IDs were also treated with suspicion before they were eventually released. Each episode deepened her sense that Native people are often viewed as outsiders in their own land.
ICE targeted Elaine Miles?!?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/HspK3sxj8Q
— Susan (@Colliemum3) November 20, 2025
Tribal IDs are not souvenirs or second-tier documents, they represent citizenship, treaty rights, and formal recognition of sovereign nations. Federal agents dismissing them could led to friction between governments.
ICE has not commented on Miles’ account. She says the incident has left her uneasy about something as simple as running errands. For someone who helped open doors for Indigenous representation on television, being disregarded by agents of a government that officially recognizes her tribe feels like a painful betrayal.
As Galanda put it, Native people shouldn’t have to feel as though they “have to look over their shoulders” just to go about their daily lives, but increasingly, that’s exactly what’s happening. Miles is a high-profile actress that has starred in blockbuster productions.
