US House passes bill to return former Albuquerque Indian School land

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would transfer 10 acres of the former Albuquerque Indian School campus to a tribal trust for New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, moving the bill toward a Senate committee vote [1]. The measure, known as the Albuquerque Indian School Act, aims to repurpose the land for economic and cultural development under the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Key takeaways

• The bill transfers three tracts, totaling about 10 acres, from the former boarding school to a tribal trust [1].
• The land will be managed by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center for an entrepreneur complex, light industry and manufacturing spaces [1].
• The legislation now proceeds to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which has not yet scheduled a vote [1][3].
• The transfer is framed by lawmakers as a step toward cultural sovereignty and job creation for the 19 New Mexico pueblos [1].
• The former Albuquerque Indian School, closed in the 1980s, was part of a federal network that removed over 18,000 Native children between 1819‑1969 [1].

Legislative journey and intended use

The Albuquerque Indian School Act was introduced by Rep. Melanie Stansbury, who highlighted the bill as moving “one step closer” to returning the land to Pueblo hands [1]. The House passed the measure after a hearing that featured statements from Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, who said the transfer would turn “a painful history into a future built on cultural sovereignty, opportunity, and respect” [1].

Senator Ben Ray Luján, a co‑sponsor, voiced support during the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing, though the committee has yet to set a date for a vote [1]. If enacted, the 10‑acre parcel would be placed under the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center’s trust. Center President and CEO Monique Fragua said the site would host an entrepreneur complex with spaces for light industry and manufacturing, intended to generate jobs and expand business services for Pueblo communities and the broader public [1].

Context of the pueblos and the school’s legacy

New Mexico’s 19 pueblos represent a diverse group of Native communities that share agricultural, material, and religious traditions rooted in centuries‑old Pueblo cultures [2]. The transfer of land is therefore more than a real‑estate transaction; it is positioned as a restoration of a “small but important piece of land” to the pueblos, according to Senator Martin Heinrich [1].

The former Albuquerque Indian School, part of a federal boarding‑school system, closed in the 1980s after a history of forced assimilation, labor, abuse, and unmarked graves of Zuni, Navajo and Apache children [1]. The legislation’s proponents argue that returning the land acknowledges that painful past while creating opportunities for cultural and economic revitalization.

Why it matters