On Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa introduced a bill to place 172 acres of land in eastern San Diego County into a tribal trust for the Jamul Indian Village.
The Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, H.R. 6443, would incorporate the acreage into the Jamul Indian Village Reservation and preserve it.
"The Jamul Indian Village has sought for years to move tribal members onto reservation land so they can raise their families and preserve their native culture and history," Issa said. "This Fee-to-Trust bill would grant this historic tribe an opportunity to do just that.
"By placing Jamul's land into trust, this bill safeguards the reservation, its sacred sites, and Kumeyaay traditions for generations to come," he said.
The 172 acres is currently owned by the Jamul Indian Village, which includes residential land for homes and council buildings, an ancestral cemetery, and the tribe's only road for transportation.