How many instances are there that ice agents have detained native Americans in detention centers
Executive summary
Available reporting does not provide a comprehensive, single-number count of how many Native Americans have been detained by ICE in detention centers; tribal leaders and news outlets cite clusters and specific incidents — for example, Navajo officials reported at least 15 Indigenous people questioned or detained in one week in the Southwest [1] and tribal statements describe small group detentions such as three Sisseton‑Wahpeton Oyate citizens held and later released [2]. Multiple tribal governments and members have reported mistaken detainers and confrontations, including a high‑profile near‑deportation case stemming from an Iowa jail clerical error [3] [4].
1. What the sources actually count — scattered reports, not a census
There is no source among the provided reporting that compiles a national tally of Native Americans placed in ICE detention centers; instead coverage consists of regional tallies and anecdotal incidents. Navajo Nation officials told CNN and reported by Axios that at least 15 Indigenous people in the Southwest were questioned or detained in a single week [1]. Separate tribal and local reports describe smaller clusters — for example, tribal statements note three Sisseton‑Wahpeton Oyate citizens taken into custody and later released [2] — but none of the sources attempt to aggregate these into a single nationwide total [2] [1].
2. Documented incidents and near‑misses that illustrate the problem
Reporting highlights concrete cases that show both mistaken detainers and confrontations: an Arizona tribal member, Leticia Jacobo, was nearly handed over to immigration authorities after an Iowa jail clerical error placed an ICE detainer on her record; jail officials later said the detainer was meant for another person [3] [4]. News outlets and tribal leaders also describe members being stopped, questioned, or briefly detained because officers did not recognize tribal documentation as proof of U.S. citizenship [5] [6].
3. Tribal responses and the political context behind the reports
Tribes and elected officials responded collectively and urgently. Several tribal governments urged citizens to carry tribal IDs and to report encounters, and members of Congress demanded action to stop what they called “unconscionable ICE harassment” [7] [8]. Tribal statements specifically warned that ICE agents in some areas were not recognizing Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) or state IDs and that members had been detained or questioned as a result [5] [6].
4. Official posture and gaps in verification
Local and federal agencies’ responses in the sources are uneven; Axios noted ICE offices did not immediately comment on some reports, and Navajo officials said they were still trying to verify detainee reports and reach individuals named in social media accounts [1] [9]. The Des Moines Register and other outlets reported ICE statements disputing custody in at least one case, underscoring a gap between tribal reports and federal confirmations [3] [4].
5. Patterns cited by advocates — racial profiling and administrative error
Multiple sources frame these encounters as part of a pattern: tribal advocates and Native news outlets describe racial profiling, stops based on appearance or language, and administrative mistakes [10] [6] [2]. The featured nearly‑deported Arizona case is presented as evidence of clerical error magnified by aggressive enforcement [3] [4]. Opposing or clarifying statements — such as DHS or ICE disputing custody in individual cases — appear in the reporting but do not settle whether broader systemic misidentification is occurring at scale [3].
6. How to interpret the available evidence and what we still don’t know
Available sources document multiple incidents and credible reports from tribal governments but do not provide a verified, nationwide count of Native Americans held in ICE detention centers; therefore any single “how many” figure is not supported by the current reporting [2] [1]. Sources emphasize specific local clusters (15 reported in one week in the Southwest) and individual high‑profile mistakes, while also showing advocacy and congressional pressure for clearer federal guidance [1] [8].
7. Why numbers matter — legal status, documentation and consequences
The stakes are high because Native Americans born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens and generally cannot be detained or deported for immigration violations, yet tribal leaders report that ICE agents sometimes do not recognize tribal IDs or CIBs, producing wrongful stops and detainers [11] [5]. That tension — between legal citizenship and contested identification on the ground — is central to tribal complaints and the cases chronicled in the reporting [11] [5].
Limitations: reporting is regional and episodic; no source provided here compiles a comprehensive national total of Native Americans detained by ICE in detention centers (not found in current reporting).