CTUIR Offering Free Tribal Identification Cards to Its Members

MISSION – In an ongoing effort to support tribal members and provide access, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is providing free tribal identification cards to any CTUIR member in need of one.

“Tribal members should always carry their tribal IDs on their person, especially when exercising treaty rights and with concerns regarding ICE,” Elfrina Lubrin, CTUIR Enrollment administrative office manager, said. “With current Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concerns, the BOT wanted to ensure tribal IDs being readily available for our tribal members.”

On Jan. 12, the CTUIR Board of Trustees (BOT) approved a resolution allocating $3,000 to provide tribal identification cards to CTUIR members for free. Normally, the cards are $5.

Lubrin said tribal members, regardless of age or location, can obtain the free identification cards by mail or by visiting the Enrollment Office, which is in the Nixyáawii Governance Center at 46411 Tímine Way in Mission. For tribal members who can’t visit the office, they can call 541-429-7035 or email enrollment@ctuir.org.

Lubrin added that the free tribal identification card initiative began Jan. 12 and that anyone who purchased a card prior to the resolution’s passing would not be reimbursed.

As part of the initiative, Enrollment officials will track when a tribal member receives a free identification card for three years. If a tribal member needs a replacement card within three years then he or she must pay for it.

Enrollment officials said in the last six months of 2025, 342 tribal identification cards were issued to CTUIR members. There are approximately 3,200 enrolled CTUIR members.

According to CTUIR enrollment requirements, an individual must have one parent or grandparent who is an enrolled member and have at least one-fourth degree of Indian blood from any federally recognized tribe within the United States.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is comprised of the Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla Tribes, and formed under the Treaty of 1855 at the Walla Walla Valley, 12 Stat. 945. In 1949, the Tribes adopted a constitutional form of government to protect, preserve and enhance the reserved treaty rights guaranteed under federal law.