[Trending News] ‘It’s a historical day’: Leonard Peltier coming home Tuesday after nearly 50 years in prison

A homecoming celebration nearly 50 years in the making will take place Tuesday when Leonard Peltier returns to the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in north-central North Dakota, welcomed by hundreds of supporters and relatives.

“Feb. 18 is a historical day,” sister Sheila Peltier said. “That’s the day he walks out of that penitentiary. That’s very exciting for everybody, people all over the world. It’s a historical day now.”

Leonard Peltier’s 2,000-mile journey home to Belcourt, N.D., began after he was released from the federal prison complex in Coleman, Fla., northwest of Orlando early Tuesday morning.

He’s expected to arrive in Belcourt in time for dinner with his family.

A vehicle carrying Leonard Peltier, right, leaves with an escort from the Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Sumterville, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/The Associated Press)

“Leonard’s step outside the prison walls today marks a step toward his long-overdue freedom and a step toward reconciliation with Native Americans,” said Kevin Sharp, one of Peltier’s attorneys.

A community celebration will take place Wednesday afternoon at the Sky Dancer Casino & Resort in Belcourt.

Peltier’s life sentence was commuted by Joe Biden in one of his last official acts as president, allowing the American Indian Movement member to serve the rest of his sentence on home confinement.

FBI officials have long opposed his release.