On December 17, 2025, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation made headlines when Chairman Joseph "Zeke" Rupnick announced in a YouTube video that the Nation and its subsidiaries had fully divested from a $29.9 million contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The contract, which had drawn increasing scrutiny from tribal citizens and the broader Native community, involved KPB Services—a subsidiary of Prairie Band LLC, the Nation’s economic engine—providing early-phase planning, research, technical assessments, and concept designs for secure structures meeting ICE’s operational requirements.
Chairman Rupnick’s statement was clear and direct: "I’m very happy to share that our Nation has successfully exited all third-party related interests affiliated with ICE. As a result, Prairie Band, LLC is no longer a direct or indirect owner or participant in, or otherwise affiliated with, any ICE-related projects, contracts, or operations." He went on to reassure tribal members that further steps to ensure the Nation’s economic interests remain in line with its values would be addressed at the next General Council meeting in January 2026. "In our next General Council meeting in January, Tribal Council plans to further address the steps we will take to ensure that our Nation’s economic interests do not come into conflict with our values in the future. Until then, be safe and enjoy this holiday season, migwetch," Rupnick concluded.
The announcement marked a significant moment for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, as concerns had been mounting about the alignment of tribal values with the types of federal contracts pursued by its economic subsidiaries. While the statement did not address the specific terms of the divestment or possible long-term ramifications for future federal contracting, it signaled a decisive break from any ICE-related business, a move that resonated with many in Indian Country.
The divestment comes at a time when tensions between Native American communities and ICE have been rising, fueled by a series of troubling incidents involving the agency’s treatment of tribal citizens. On the same day as Rupnick’s announcement, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), joined by ten other Senate colleagues, sent a sharply worded letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. The senators demanded answers about what they described as racial profiling of tribal members by ICE agents and the agency’s repeated refusal to recognize tribal identification cards.
"The disrespect and harassment of U.S.-born Tribal citizens by ICE is outrageous and inexcusable, and we request that you take immediate steps to put an end to it," the senators wrote. Their letter cited ongoing incidents where ICE agents stopped or detained tribal citizens based solely on their physical appearance and questioned or outright rejected the validity of their tribal IDs. The senators specifically referenced a November 2025 incident in Redmond, Washington, where Indigenous actress Elaine Miles was stopped by four men identifying themselves as ICE agents while waiting for a bus. According to the senators, when Miles presented her tribal ID, issued by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the agents labeled it "fake" and refused to contact the tribal enrollment office to verify her citizenship. Miles later alleged that her son and uncle were also detained by ICE agents who initially did not accept their tribal IDs before eventually releasing them.
The senators’ letter pulled no punches. "We write to share our alarm over the completely unacceptable treatment of U.S.-born citizens of federally recognized Tribes, who have been stopped and questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on suspicion of being undocumented," they stated. The letter went on to criticize DHS’s previous responses to similar concerns, noting that a June reply from Secretary Noem had failed to address the majority of questions raised in an earlier letter sent in February 2025. The senators argued that ICE agents’ actions contradicted the agency’s own claim that "The ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Academy does not train ERO officers to require any specific document to prove U.S. citizenship." "The experience of these Tribal citizens in Washington suggests that this is false: ICE agents are demanding certain documents to prove citizenship and are unaware of different forms of Tribal ID," the senators wrote.
The lawmakers demanded detailed information on ICE policies and training related to tribal IDs, as well as an explanation of how the agency investigates civil rights complaints involving tribal citizens. They set a clear deadline: Secretary Noem was asked to respond by January 11, 2026. Senators signing the letter included Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), in addition to Schatz and Murray.
According to reporting by Native News Online and other outlets, the controversy over ICE’s treatment of tribal citizens is not new. Since the agency’s creation in 2003, Native Americans have occasionally reported being questioned by ICE agents, particularly in the wake of executive orders that increased deportation activities. In recent years, tribal governments have urged their citizens to carry tribal IDs at all times and have issued guidelines for interacting with federal agents. Despite these efforts, confusion and conflict have persisted, often stemming from a lack of recognition or understanding of tribal identification documents by federal officers.
Responding to the senators’ concerns, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement rejecting the allegations of racial profiling as "categorically FALSE." However, the senators’ letter and the personal accounts from tribal citizens like Elaine Miles suggest a disconnect between official policy and on-the-ground practice. The letter demanded answers to specific questions: What steps has DHS taken to update its policies regarding tribal citizens? How are agents trained to respond to tribal IDs? Are additional resources needed to improve training? And crucially, how does DHS explain the pattern of ICE agents stopping and detaining tribal citizens under the current administration?
For the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the decision to sever ties with ICE-related business marks a turning point. While the Nation’s leadership has yet to outline detailed plans for ensuring future alignment between economic ventures and tribal values, the upcoming General Council meeting in January 2026 is expected to address these issues head-on. The episode underscores the broader struggle for tribal sovereignty and respect in dealings with federal agencies—a struggle that continues to animate both grassroots activism and legislative advocacy.
As Indian Country watches closely, the confluence of tribal divestment from controversial federal contracts and mounting political pressure on ICE to reform its treatment of Native citizens signals a moment of reckoning. The coming months will reveal whether these actions translate into lasting change, both in the boardroom and on the streets where tribal citizens live their daily lives.
