WASHINGTON — A dispute has erupted between the federal government and tribal nations as “Operation Guardian Sweep” brings Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions into the heart of Indian Country without warning to the tribal nations.

Oklahoma tribal leaders have said they only learned of ICE operations on their reservations through social media reports by tribal citizens, rather than being informed by federal officials. 

Gov. John Raymond Johnson of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe issued a rebuke of federal actions in response to reports of ICE agents stopping people in the Shawnee area in a manner bordering on racial profiling.

“The Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma has recently been informed that the federal government, in its attempt to deport undocumented migrants, has begun to approach, question and even detain tribal members in Oklahoma. To be clear, there is no reasonable basis, reasonable suspicion, or probable cause to restrict the liberties of Native Americans based on any of the following characteristics: skin color; hair color; eye color; lack of identification; etc.,” Johnson said.

The Oklahoma Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes, representing the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Seminole, Muscogee, and Choctaw Nations, unanimously approved a resolution demanding formal government-to-government consultation. The council argued that tribal citizens in their jurisdiction are “categorically outside immigration jurisdiction” and that current ICE tactics ignore tribal sovereignty.

Tribes throughout Oklahoma have advised their citizens to carry their Certificates of Indian Blood at all times.

U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the first Native American to chair the House Appropriations Committee, said his office was not informed about ICE operations in his district or about a warehouse in Oklahoma City, also in his district, that had been considered for conversion to an ICE detention facility. 

“I have not been consulted on anything of that nature,” he said. “However, federal law is the supreme law of the land and officials have every right to enforce it. I don’t find being asked for identification threatening. I carry mine right now. I think some local officials have stirred things up rather than being cooperative, and I haven’t seen anything that raises alarm yet.”

While Cole is maintaining a wait-and-see approach, tribal leaders argue the alarm has already gone off.

Federal officials maintain that their authority to enforce immigration law does not stop at tribal borders. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, recently defended the increased enforcement actions.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have unleashed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to target the worst of the worst. Our brave law enforcement is facing an 830% increase in assaults against them and yet they continue to arrest violent criminals and drug traffickers every single day. We will not allow sanctuary politicians or activist hacks to stand in our way of protecting the American people,” she said.

Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation released a statement pushing back against a rumored detention facility near Choctaw tribal headquarters.

“We oppose the location of the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility near the Choctaw Nation headquarters in Durant. We are extremely concerned about the proposed facility’s close proximity to our day care, child education center and large employee base, which provides programs and services to our tribal members, including children and elders,” Batton said.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a member of the Osage Nation and the city’s first Native American mayor, has also waded into the debate. While acknowledging federal agencies are not legally bound by city zoning, Holt addressed local anxiety regarding the placement of a major detention center in a heavily populated area of Oklahoma City. 

Last Thursday, Holt announced via social media that following meetings with the owners of the facility, the deal for the warehouse was off the table.

“This morning, I met with the owners of the property at 2800 S. Council in southwest Oklahoma City,” Holt said. “The owners are not residents of Oklahoma and this is the only property they own in Oklahoma City.”

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.