A view of Black Mesa at San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico. Photo by Em-jay-es via Wikipedia
A trespassing dispute at San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico has led to a lawsuit in federal court. The tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs contend Santa Fe County failed to secure rights-of-way for a handful of roads on the reservation. Efforts to resolve the matter, however, have not gone very far since a December 2013 letter raised the issue. The lack of an agreement prompted a group called Northern New Mexicans Protecting Land, Water and Rights to file the lawsuit late last month. The complaint contends the roads are public rights-of-way and that their property rights are protected by the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
TRESPASS DISPUTE: County Road 84, 84A, 84B, 85C, 85D and Sandy Way are illegally crossing tribal land, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The group has not named the tribe or the county as defendants. Neither the tribe, nor the county, would comment when asked about the lawsuit by The Albuquerque Journal. The roads are located on the eastern side of San Ildefonso Pueblo. It appears the only way to get in and out of that area is to cross the reservation. The area is home to some rather expensive real estate and property values are an issue of concern to the landowners. A search on Zillow turned up homes and land with asking prices of $233,000, $287,811 and $262,000. The case is Northern New Mexicans Protecting Land, Water and Rights v. US. The BIA has not yet responded to the complaint. Get the Story:
Lawsuit filed over access to San Ildefonso roads (The Albuquerque Journal 7/21)
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