A coalition of bipartisan lawmakers is advancing legislation that would compel U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to train its officers on recognizing tribal identification documents, following a series of incidents where Native Americans were improperly detained by federal agents.
The bill, introduced by Representatives Sharice Davids (D-Kan.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), along with Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement training for immigration officers to accept tribal IDs and enrollment documents as valid proof of U.S. citizenship.
“When they show a tribal ID or a valid tribal identification document, they’re providing proof that they’re U.S. citizens… and not be detained or harassed by federal agents. This is a straightforward training fix,” Davids, co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, told The Hill. “When mistakes happen, or when tribal IDs are being ignored, it really erodes trust.”
The push comes amid mounting evidence of ICE stops targeting Native Americans. In the first week of the Trump administration, the Navajo Nation reported at least 15 members were stopped by ICE. During immigration raids in Minneapolis in January, four members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe were also detained. Actress Elaine Miles, a member of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, recounted being stopped by ICE officers who asked if she was Mexican; she said one officer called her tribal ID “fake,” while another claimed “anyone can make that.”
“Too often, the lack of consistent training has led to confusion, delays, and the improper treatment of tribal citizens. By requiring comprehensive training on tribal IDs, this bill affirms the validity of tribal governments and strengthens the federal trust responsibility,” said Larry Wright, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians, in a statement supporting the legislation.
With 575 federally recognized tribes, each issuing its own unique ID format, the legislation directs DHS to consult with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal governments to develop the training. “It is so troubling. It is actually infuriating,” Davids said. “If the federal government is going to have DHS, ICE, federal officers interacting with tribal citizens, we need to make sure that they’re trained to appropriately identify that so that Native Americans aren’t having to repeatedly prove their citizenship over and over again.”
The bill arrives as ICE recently reversed course on its training protocols, returning to a longer program after a period of accelerated hiring under the Trump administration. This legislative effort mirrors broader bipartisan pushes on issues like federal bereavement leave and housing affordability, reflecting a pattern of cross-party cooperation on targeted policy fixes.
Democratic senators had previously flagged “alarming reports of ICE improperly stopping or detaining Tribal citizens for no apparent reason aside from their physical appearance.” The new legislation aims to address those concerns directly by standardizing how officers verify citizenship documents from tribal nations.
