Friends and Relatives,
In our update today on the ongoing situation in Minnesota we want to call your attention in particular to the impact on Indigenous People, especially the three Lakota men who were detained from a homeless encampment and are still being held in an ice detention at Fort Snelling, South of Minneapolis.
In an official statement yesterday from the Oglala Sioux Tribe, President Frank Star Comes Out reiterated the long history of Treaties and Federal laws related to their tribal sovereignty and stated: “Members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are United States citizens. We are the first Americans. We are not undocumented immigrants, and we are not subject to unlawful immigration enforcement by ICE or Homeland Security.”
The Oglala Sioux Tribe has formally demanded:
- Immediate confirmation of the identities, locations and legal status of all detailed Oglala Sioux tribal members;
- The immediate release of all enrolled tribal citizens held under immigration authority;
- Written assurances that such unlawful detentions will cease;
- Immediate, substantive government-to-government consultation.
The location of the ICE detention center at Fort Snelling:
- “The irony is not lost on us,” Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said. “Lakota citizens who are reported to be held at Fort Snelling — a site forever tied to the Dakota 38+2 — underscores why treaty obligations and federal accountability matter today, not just in history.”
- This Fort Snelling detention center sits at the place of origin for Dakota people, underscoring that this violence is happening at the very heart of their homeland.
- In her book What Does Justice Look Like?: The Struggle for Liberation in Dakota Homeland, author Dr. Waziyatawin wrote “Dakota elders tell of the actual creation of humans occurring in our homeland of Minisota Makoce, specifically at the place called Maka Cokaya Kin or the center of the Earth. This place is at Bdote which means the joining or juncture of two bodies of water and in this instance refers to the area where the Minnesota river joins the Mississippi… with Fort Snelling overlooking the sacred juncture of Bdote.”
- Same relationship that Christians Jews and Muslims have with places in the Middle East
- “I’m sharing this story to demonstrate the ancient and sacred relations we have with this landscape. I am also sharing this to demonstrate that we do not believe we emigrated from any other place, rather our stories assert that we were created here and that we have always lived here.”
Arresting and detaining Indigenous people on their homelands reveals yet again that what is taking place in Minnesota is not just about immigration but about sewing fear and discord for all people, and especially for people made vulnerable by the systems of laws and policies justified by the Doctrine of Discovery.
We are hearing numerous stories of ongoing violence against citizens, including that a federal official shot and wounded a man last night in Minneapolis. In response, President Donald Trump threatened to use the 1807 Insurrection Act to send the US military to Minneapolis.
Resilient organizing and acts of care and love by communities on the ground continues. People in Minneapolis are doing whatever they can to help their friends and neighbors, and to respond with peace and care. And they are asking their elected officials to join them to pass policies like an eviction moratorium to keep people housed through this time of danger.
How can we respond and join our life energy to the energy of those in Minnesota right now? We must join them in their grief and in their courageous action towards a safer world.
We are calling on you, our friends and supporters, to call your members of Congress. Tell them to demand DHS complies with demands from the Oglala Sioux tribe regarding release of their tribal citizens. Tell them to defund ICE.
And, to join us in sending funds to directly-impacted families, including Indigenous communities, for material support, rent support and food delivery.
Donate here: dismantlediscovery.org/donate (mark your donation with “Minneapolis” when you fill out the payment information).
Read our previous updates on Facebook:
