HR 6162: Albuquerque Indian School Act of 2025

HR 6162 in plain English: This bill transfers approximately 9.89 acres of federal land in Albuquerque, New Mexico — historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School — into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. The land, currently managed by the General Services Administration, must be used for educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development purposes, with gaming prohibited.

Stated purpose

This bill transfers approximately 9.89 acres of federal land in Albuquerque, New Mexico — land that was historically part of the Albuquerque Indian School — into trust for the benefit of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, to be used for their educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development.

Key points

• Takes approximately 9.89 acres of federal land in Albuquerque into trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico
• Requires the GSA to relocate all federal tenants and transfer jurisdiction to the Interior Department within 90 days of enactment
• Conveys ownership of buildings on Tract 1 (about 3.57 acres, including a 76,682 sq ft warehouse) to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
• Restricts land use to educational, health, cultural, business, and economic development; prohibits gaming

Arguments supporters make

• This land was historically taken from Pueblo communities and used for Indian boarding schools; returning it is a step toward correcting a historical wrong and honoring the federal government's obligations to Native nations.
• Placing the land in trust gives the 19 Pueblos a stable base to build education, health, and economic programs that serve their communities directly.
• The bill includes clear guardrails — no gaming is allowed and existing easements and utility agreements remain in place — making this a responsible and limited transfer of land.

Arguments opponents make

• Transferring federal land to trust status removes it from local tax rolls and standard municipal oversight, which could reduce resources and complicate land-use coordination for Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.
• Current federal tenants are required to relocate on a tight 90-day timeline, which may disrupt ongoing government operations or programs housed on the property.
• Some may argue that trust land decisions of this kind set precedents for future transfers and that Congress, rather than case-by-case legislation, should establish a more consistent and broadly debated policy for such transfers.

Tradeoffs

The bill returns historically significant land to Pueblo communities for their self-determined use, but doing so removes the land from federal and local jurisdiction and requires displacement of current tenants, creating tension between tribal restoration goals and existing governmental uses of the property.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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