City council backs Fort Sill Apache Tribe casino bid in New Mexico

Tuesday, January 8, 2013  

The city council in Las Cruces, New Mexico, approved a resolution supporting the Fort Sill Apache Tribe casino plan.

The tribe's headquarters are in Oklahoma but its ancestral territory is in southern New Mexico. The Apache Homelands Casino would mark the tribe's return to its home.

"I am pleased that the Las Cruces City Council recognizes our rights as a sovereign nation and supports our return to New Mexico," Chairman Jeff Haozous said in a press release.

The tribe already has a 30-acre reservation in trust. But the National Indian Gaming Commission said the land didn't qualify for gaming under Section 20 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

So the tribe is proceeding under the two-part determination provisions of IGRA. That means the tribe needs the approval of the state governor, in addition to approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Get the Story:
City of Las Cruces officially supports the Fort Sill Apache's return home (KVIA-TV 1/7)

Fort Sill Apache Tribe waits for answer on New Mexico casino (11/19)