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Indigenous 'Northern Exposure' Actor Says She Was Detained By ICE After Agents Claimed Tribal ID 'Looked Fake'
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.
@doctor_kristinm/Threads
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.
Pete Hegseth Blasted After Trying To Turn His Potential War Crimes Scandal Into A Meme
You can see Hegseth's post and the image below.
@PeteHegseth/X
Hegseth’s post followed a Washington Post investigation published last week alleging that in September he directed a U.S. strike unit to eliminate everyone aboard a single vessel. According to the report, after two people were later spotted alive in the wreckage, commanders authorized a follow-up “double tap” strike to ensure their deaths.
The account has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and human rights advocates, some of whom say the actions described, if accurate, could constitute serious violations of international law and potentially amount to war crimes or unlawful killings.
U.S. officials and outside specialists also dispute the administration’s claim that the suspected traffickers were engaged in an “armed conflict” with the United States or posed an imminent threat.
In the absence of a legitimate state of war, the killings “would amount to murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former military attorney who now directs the national security law program at Georgetown Law and previously advised Special Operations forces during the height of the counterterrorism campaign.
Huntley added that even in a recognized wartime context, an order to kill all occupants of a disabled vessel would effectively be an instruction to “give no quarter,” which itself would qualify as a war crime. Huntley now directs the national security law program at Georgetown Law.
Many have condemned Hegseth's action.
In the aftermath of that initial strike, the Trump administration formally informed Congress that the United States was engaged in what it called a “non-international armed conflict” with unnamed “designated terrorist organizations.”
That position was reinforced by a legal opinion from the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which argued that because the U.S. was operating within an armed conflict, military personnel carrying out strikes in compliance with the laws of war would be shielded from criminal prosecution.
Huntley criticized that framework, warning that the laws of armed conflict give the state enormous unchecked power. “The government ends up acting as judge, jury, and executioner when it uses force,” he said.
Since the first strike, U.S. forces have carried out at least 22 additional attacks on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, including one semisubmersible vessel. According to officials and internal Pentagon records reviewed by The Washington Post, those operations have resulted in the deaths of 71 people accused of drug trafficking.
Hegseth has rejected the allegations. After the report was published, Hegseth appeared to publicly stand by the strategy in a pair of social media posts on Friday. He described the missions as intentionally “lethal, kinetic strikes” and insisted that the operations were justified and “lawful under both U.S. and international law.”
Trump Dragged After Vowing To Release Results From His 'Perfect' MRI On Unknown Body Part
What the White House did release was a letter from White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella saying that "the purpose of this imaging was preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function."
The imaging results, Barbabella said, are "perfectly normal" and that there are no major abnormalities affecting his heart or major blood vessels. Overall, "all major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused" and "functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns."
You can see the letter below.
The White House
While on Air Force One, Trump was asked about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who called for Trump's recent MRI results to be released. Trump had earlier used a slur to demean those with disabilities and said Walz “does nothing”—whether “through fear, incompetence, or both"—regarding the number of Somalian refugees in his state.
Trump had also announced he had ended legal protections for Somali residents of Minnesota “effective immediately,” alleging “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State.”
In response to reporters' questions about the MRI, Trump said:
"If they want to release it, it's okay with me to release it. ... If you want to have it released, I'll release it."
Trump also drew a parallel to his 2019 conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he urged Zelenskyy to investigate Biden, then seen as his likely opponent in the 2020 race. That call ultimately triggered his impeachment by the House of Representatives, though the Senate later acquitted him.
He said:
“It’s perfect. Just like my phone call, where I got impeached. It’s absolutely perfect.”
However, when asked "what part of the body" the MRI was looking at, Trump seemed stumped:
"I have no idea. It was just an MRI. It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it. I got a perfect mark which you would be incapable of doing."
That last remark referenced what Trump described as a very difficult “aptitude test” he took at the military hospital, boasting about his performance. While he bragged about acing an exam used to assess cognitive impairment, he failed to understand that the higher your score, the worse the outcome.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
No one was impressed by Trump's response.
Trump's health continues to be a topic of national concern.
In recent appearances, Trump has shown visible ankle swelling and discoloration on his right hand, and witnesses have also observed him nodding off during official engagements. In July, the White House disclosed that he had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a circulatory disorder that can cause leg swelling.
Despite this, Trump is “fully fit” for the presidency, according to a memo from the White House physician released earlier this year after his annual physical. Among the cited evidence of his top-tier health was his “frequent victories” in golf tournaments.
