Mille Lacs Chief Executive Issues Order Regarding ICE Activity on Tribal Lands

Virgil Wind at the 2025 Mille Lacs State of the Band address. (Lakeland News File)

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Chief Executive Virgil Wind has issued an executive order that requires all Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to consult with the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Tribal Government prior to entering or taking action on Mille Lacs tribal lands.

The move comes after the deployment of approximately 2,000 ICE agents to Minnesota as part of an immigration enforcement campaign, along with the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and the shooting of an Venezuelan man in the leg on Jan. 14 by ICE agents. The executive order says hundreds of Mille Lacs enrolled members live in the Twin Cities, with many expressing deep concern and fear regarding ICE activity.

Wind said in a statement on Facebook that the band has resolved to exercise the fullest extent of its sovereignty to protect both band members and other people living on tribal land.

A spokesperson from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe told Lakeland News that Wind issued the executive order recognizing the need to provide additional protection for their band members, and that the band continues to emphasize to band members the need to remain calm, carry their tribal IDs, look out for one another, and be aware of their surroundings.