Mille Lacs County seeks withdrawal of federal reservation boundary opinion
Mille Lacs County commissioners passed a resolution last week asking the U.S. Department of the Interior to withdraw a legal opinion affirming the boundaries of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Reservation, according to MPR News. The opinion, known as M-37032, states that the 61,000-acre reservation established by an 1855 treaty remains intact and legally binding.
The county’s resolution argues the opinion is unsupported and creates confusion, and reiterates the county’s position that the reservation consists of about 4,000 acres, according to the resolution. The Interior Department issued the opinion in 2016 while approving the band’s application to exercise law enforcement jurisdiction.
In a statement to MPR News, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe said it was “deeply disappointed” by the county’s action. Tribal Chief Executive Virgil Wind said the move undermines months of government-to-government engagement and threatens recent progress between the two governments.
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