Indigenous 'Northern Exposure' Actor Says She Was Detained By ICE After Agents Claimed Tribal ID 'Looked Fake'

Elaine Miles is an actor best known for her roles as doctor's office receptionist Marilyn Whirlwind in the 1990s TV series Northern Exposure and as one of the sisters, Lucy, in the film Smoke Signals.

More recently, Miles starred as Florence in an episode of HBO's The Last of Us.

The actor is also a beloved NDN Country celebrity who frequently travels to Indigenous communities for celebrations, like her October trip to Lakȟóta territory for Native American Day at the Crazy Horse Memorial and to the He Sapa Wacipi Na Oskate (Black Hills Powwow) in Rapid City, South Dakota. The state has officially celebrated Native American Day on the second Monday of October for 35 years.

Miles is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon, who lives in the Seattle, Washington, area.

On November 3, 2025, Miles was walking toward a bus stop in Redmond, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. On that same day, Redmond police confirmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested three people at nearby Bear Creek Village shopping center and broke the window of a car to pull a man out of his vehicle.

Miles said four men wearing masks and vests labeled “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” stepped out of two unmarked black SUVs and demanded her identification, so she handed the men her tribal ID.

Tribal IDs are recognized as valid forms of ID by state and federal agencies and Miles told The Seattle Times she has used hers to travel across the Canadian and Mexican borders without issue.

Miles said a man ran up to her and started talking, asking her if she was Mexican, when she noticed he had a hand on his gun.

Miles shared an angry Facebook post, venting her fear and frustration, immediately after her encounter with ICE, which she has since deleted.

Elaine Miles/Facebook

The actor told KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio:

"And I was looking at him, like, ‘What? What did I do?' And then he's like, 'are you Mexican?' And I go, ‘No, I'm not. I'm Native American. You want to see my tribal ID?’”

"Then these other men come up. And it's scary when they run up on you. It's like, 'what did I do?'"

ICE refused multiple requests for comment on why Miles was detained on the street and questioned, but pointed out immigration law gives their agents authority to stop and question people in cases where they have "reasonable suspicion" about an individual’s legal status.

One ICE agent told Miles he thought her Tribal ID looked "fake."

Another ICE agent said:

"Anyone can make that."

Miles said the men would not provide their names or badge numbers.

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The actor pointed out the Umatilla Tribal enrollment office phone number printed on the back of her ID and told them to call and verify her identity. When they refused, Miles attempted to call herself, prompting the men to try to seize her phone.

But a fifth man whistled from one of the SUVs, prompting the group to abruptly return to their vehicles and leave.

People found ICE's behavior reprehensible.

Seattle-based Indigenous rights attorney Gabriel Galanda, who is not representing Miles, told The Seattle Times:

"What we’re talking about here is racial profiling. People are getting pulled over or detained on the street because of the dark color of their skin."

He added:

"ICE's refusal to accept the Tribal ID reflects] a fair amount of ignorance about tribal citizenship generally in society and in government."

"The prospect of the First Peoples being physically or forcibly stopped or detained is harrowing and reminiscent of this country’s original treatment of the First Peoples."

"It’s also deeply troubling that in 2025, the first people of this country have to essentially look over their shoulders."

Miles shared she was not the first member of her family to be harassed by ICE.

Her own encounter left her afraid to leave her house alone or after dark. Her aunt and uncle asked her to check in each night to make certain she's home and safe.