Heinrich Leads Legislation to Transfer Federal Land to Pueblos for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025, legislation to place three tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding land into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.

Heinrich's Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025 is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and led in the House by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.).

"My legislation expands on decades of bipartisan work to put the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding tracts of land in to trust for the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico. This land, in particular, will be used by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to scale Native-owned businesses, create jobs, and expand business services for local and Native-owned businesses - an economic win for everyone," said Heinrich.

"The Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act of 2025 will expand economic development and cultural education opportunities for the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which serves all nineteen of New Mexico's Pueblos," said Luján. "I am proud to introduce this legislation to help the center grow its capacity as a cultural and economic institution, creating jobs and generating revenue for New Mexico's Pueblos and our communities."

Heinrich's Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025 builds upon a longstanding, bipartisan effort to transfer the former Albuquerque Indian School campus and surrounding tracts to the 19 Pueblos in New Mexico for the development and growth of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a nationally recognized museum and cultural institution owned and operated by the Pueblos, dedicated to both preserving and perpetuating pueblo history, culture, and art, while facilitating their future economic growth and long-term economic sustainability.

The text of the bill is here.

In 2015, Heinrich, Luján, and the rest of the N.M. Delegation successfully passed into law the Albuquerque Indian School Land Transfer Act, legislation to place four tracts of land from the former Albuquerque Indian School into trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, consolidating the last parcels of the old school property into the Albuquerque Indian School campus. This followed several prior legislative efforts, from 1969 to 2008, led by former Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), former Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), and former Representative Manuel Lujan Jr. (R-N.M.).

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