BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Supreme Court has temporarily halted the evictions of certain families living on Nooksack Tribal lands who were expelled by the tribe over a dispute.
On June 7, a panel of judges issued an injunction ordering a moratorium on evictions for the Nooksack Indian tribe in northwest Washington while a high court decides whether to take up the case, the Cascadia Daily News reported.
The families involved in the lawsuit are family members of more than 300 people who were officially removed from the Nooksack Indian tribe in 2016 and 2018. They have faced the threat of eviction for years.
Tribal leaders have said the families known as “Nooksack 306” were incorrectly registered in the 1980s and could not adequately prove their ancestry.
The Nooksack members threatened with deportation range from Filipinos to Native Americans, or “Indians,” as some call them. The families’ attorney, Gabe Galanda, told KNKX public radio that his client was singled out in part because he said such mixed identities were common among indigenous peoples.
Garlanda said nearly all the homes in question were developed on a rent-to-buy basis, meaning his clients were expected to own their own home or take an equity stake.
Earlier this year, U.N. experts called on the federal government to intervene and prevent evictions, raising concerns about residents’ welfare.
The families and Garanda have challenged the deportation effort and have come to the fore as leading opponents of tribal demobilization, a practice that has increasingly involved struggles for power and resources, as well as questions about culture and identity.
In central California, the Picayune Rancheria of the Chuukchansi Indians voted to expel dozens of members in 2019 from casino profits and other benefits for tribe members. Over the past decade, the Confederate tribes of Grand Rounde, Oregon, have also removed tribal members they say no longer meet registration rules.
Tribal evictions began in the 1990s with the establishment of casinos and continued as gambling revenues soared. Critics say school cancellations are also being used as a way to address political infighting and family and personal feuds.
In a statement, the Nooksack Indian Tribe said it owns the relevant land and premises, manages the properties, and is the landlord of the leases of all tenants involved in the case.
“We believe the court will dismiss the case once it has examined the true facts, rather than the unfounded claims made against the deregistered tenant,” the statement said.
