A disturbing incident in Redmond, Washington has raised serious concerns after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers stopped and detained Native American actress Elaine Miles while she was simply walking to a bus stop. Miles, known for her roles in Northern Exposure, Smoke Signals, Wyvern and The Last of Us, said she had only planned to go shopping when the encounter began.
How Routine Walk Turned Into a Troubling Stop
Miles told reporters that she was approached by ICE agents wearing tactical vests and masks. Their two black SUVs had no front license plates, which immediately made the situation feel frightening. When the agents asked for identification, Miles handed them her tribal ID issued by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon.
According to the Seattle Times, tribal IDs are fully recognized by federal agencies, including border authorities. Miles has used her tribal ID for years — even when traveling to and from Canada and Mexico — without experiencing any issues.
But the agents refused to believe her. Miles said they told her the ID looked “fake” and claimed “anyone can make that.” Even after she explained that tribal IDs are official and legally valid, the officers continued questioning her identity.
Miles described feeling shocked and embarrassed. She said she kept thinking, Why don’t they believe me? Why am I being treated this way when I am a U.S. citizen? The situation made her fear that the officers might take her into custody despite having done nothing wrong.
The incident has since spread on social media, with many people saying the treatment Miles received reflects a larger problem Native Americans have long faced when dealing with law enforcement.
Family Experiences and Galanda Says Miles’ Case Highlights Racial Profiling
The troubling experience did not surprise Miles entirely, because she revealed that both her son and her uncle had faced similar situations. At separate times, ICE officers also stopped them and refused to accept their tribal IDs. Miles said ICE officers temporarily detained both men and then released them, but the encounters still left them shaken.
These repeated incidents within one family have fueled concerns that authorities are discriminating against Native Americans. Many Native Americans say officers often mistake them for undocumented immigrants. Some even describe how authorities question their citizenship even when they present legal identification.
Tribal rights attorney Gabriel Galanda, who spoke to the Seattle Times, strongly condemned how officers treated Miles. He said these incidents show that racial profiling is becoming more common. “What we’re talking about here is racial profiling,” Galanda said. “People say officers pull them over or detain them on the street because of the dark color of their skin.”
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Galanda explained that tribal IDs serve as important documents that show membership in sovereign tribal nations and that federal authorities recognize them. He said rejecting these IDs not only causes problems but also undermines tribal sovereignty and the rights of Native citizens like Miles.
Miles said she felt officers judged her only by her appearance instead of the legal document she provided. Many Native community members say they fear encounters like this may now happen more often.
Supreme Court Ruling Adds New Pressure as Miles’ Experience Sparks Debate
The timing of what happened to Miles has drawn even more attention because it occurred shortly after a major Supreme Court decision changed how immigration officials can operate. In September, the Court ruled 6–3 in Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem that immigration officers may consider factors such as a person’s race, ethnicity, accent, language, or physical appearance when deciding whether to suspect them of being undocumented.
This ruling lifted an earlier restriction that prevented such considerations. Now, immigration officials can use these visual and cultural cues while carrying out their enforcement activities.
Legal experts say this change increases the chances that officers will stop people based on appearance alone — a problem advocates warned would put Native Americans, Latinos, and other communities at greater risk of unfair questioning.
Miles’ detention is one of the first high-profile cases to emerge after the ruling, and many people say the case shows how easily officers can misuse the new law. Civil rights groups argue that officers may now feel empowered to stop anyone who “looks foreign,” even if that person is a U.S. citizen carrying an approved ID.
Miles herself said the experience was frightening because the officers treated her as if she did not belong in her own country. She said the agents’ disbelief in her identity — despite showing a legal tribal ID — made her feel powerless and targeted. For many Indigenous people, her story is not an isolated case but part of a long history of being questioned and doubted.
Miles’ account has continued to circulate widely, prompting discussions about the rights of Native American citizens and the increasing authority granted to immigration officers. Many tribal members and advocates say Miles’ incident represents a much larger issue — one that affects Native families across many regions of the United States.