The Fort Sill Apache
Tribe is pushing the state of New Mexico to come to table to discuss gaming but Gov. Susana Martinez
(R) is resisting.
The tribe has a 30-acre reservation in the southern part of the state. The land isn't eligible for a casino since it was placed in trust after 1988, the National Indian Gaming Commission determined.
So the tribe is pursuing the casino under the two-part determination provisions of the Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act. The Bureau of Indian Affairs sent a consultation letter to Martinez but her office claims the Apaches don't belong in the state.
"The federal government does not recognize Fort Sill as a New Mexico tribe, finding that they lack any government structure or population base in New Mexico," a spokesperson for Martinez told The Los Angeles Times.
The Apaches have been locked out of other official tribal-state dealings as well. So they are suing Martinez in federal court, saying the issue is about more than just gaming.
"It's frustrating given our history.... I want to redeem the loss our people suffered," Chairman Jeff Haozous told the paper.
The BIA letter was sent in May 2012. The agency hasn't published notice of a draft environmental impact statement for the project, the usual first step in the process.
Get the Story:
Fort Sill Apache tribe says its roots are in New Mexico
(The Los Angeles Times 1/14)
$P Federal Register Notice:
Proclaiming
Certain Lands as Reservation for the Fort Sill Apache Indian Tribe (November
28, 2011)
$P NIGC Indian Land Opinions:
May 19, 2008 |
April 30, 2009
Related Stories:
Jeff Haozous: Fort Sill Apache Tribe at home in
New Mexico (1/6)
New Mexico county
supports Fort Sill Apache Tribe casino bid (04/10)