Sec. of Interior makes land grab, taking away reservation.

[jberryhill]

17. It is out of context

The BIA had recognized the land claim in question some years ago, at a location where the tribe wants to build a casino.

The way that these things work is that it is really an outside investor group that wants to build a casino. The tribe is used as a vehicle for that investment, because if they can get the land claim recognized, then they can build a casino in a state where you can't otherwise build them.

In 2016 local residents (and yes, backed by a casino competitor) brought a lawsuit to stop the construction of the casino.

The litigation has been going on since that time.

In February of this year a federal appeals court said that the BIA recognition of this particular land claim was improper.

In a last ditch effort, the tribe attempted an administrative appeal route. Here's another article:

https://www.casino.org/news/mashpee-wampanoag-tribe-appeals-to-president-donald-trump/

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe wants to build a $1 billion casino resort called First Light in Taunton.

This is not about people being kicked off of land they live on. This is about building a casino.