Star Comes Out said the men were homeless and living under a bridge near the Little Earth housing complex in the East Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis. According to Star Comes Out, when the tribe demanded information about the detained tribal members, federal officials told the tribe it would release information only if the tribe entered into an agreement with ICE. The tribe declined, saying such an agreement would violate its treaties with the U.S. government.
Then, in 1905, the United States publicly disclosed the unratified treaties it had made with 18 California tribes. The tribes responded by building a legal and economic framework for tribal sovereignty. In 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was enacted, and small casinos sprouted on reservations in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Southern California. Similar resorts sprang up across the country, and the economic benefits have helped fuel the struggle for tribal sovereignty.
