One Nation United, a group opposed to federal Indian policies that recognize tribal sovereignty and treaty rights, says the Interior Department's letter about off-reservation gaming is "true progress."

Barb Lindsay, the national director of the group, has been circulating via e-mail a copy of a letter sent to the Manzanita Band of Mission Indians. The California tribe is seeking land away from its reservation for a casino.

The letter from Jim Cason, the associate deputy secretary at Interior, urges the tribe to consider the risks associated with off-reservation gaming. Nearly identical letters were sent out to about two dozen tribes with similar applications.

Interior is currently finalizing rules that could place additional hurdles in the land-into-trust process for gaming sites. But efforts in Congress to restrict off-reservation gaming have failed.

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Off-reservation casino rules may shift (The Biloxi Sun-Herald 5/8)
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