Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo

According to Carlos Hisa, Lt. Governor of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo/Tigua Indian Reservation of Texas, for a number of years the State of Texas was responsible for overseeing what had been going on in the reservation. The state decided to give back the responsibility to the federal government, which in returned, recognized them as a tribe. The state created the Restoration Act that in order for the state to support the Tigua Indian Reservation in being recognized federally, there had to be a couple of conditions. One of the conditions was that they would never have gaming. "At that point, gaming was not in existence...the State of Texas wasn't gaming," stated the Lt. Governor.

And during that time, large families were living in a two bedroom adobe house in poor housing conditions, roofs were leaking, no running water and no electricity. The Tigua Indians were in urgent need of financial assistance. The tribe's council, elected officials at that time had to do something to help their people. They really had no choice, but to sign the agreement, not truly understanding what gaming was about since it wasn't even in existence. Hisa explains it, "Is like saying right now, sign here, you'll never be able to drive a flying car. I'll give you a thousand bucks if you sign. Behold, ten years later, someone comes up with a flying car, you want one... I'm sorry, you signed here."

He also stated that Speaking Rock Casino had been in operation for more than 9 years. At that time, a republican was running for governor, who neither El Paso nor the Tigua Indian Tribe supported him. El Paso is democrat strong, and so was the tribe. Soon enough, certain politicians started questioning what was going on, and wanted the casino to closed down. And that's how everything began. It was politically motivated.

They used the language in the agreement to closed it down, but yet, they let the Tiguas operate Speaking Rock Casino for a number of years without any problems. Hisa explains, "If you look closely at the Restoration Act, there's two things on there, one says, the tribe can do what the State of Texas can do, and there's another one there that says, except gaming. So when the State of Texas opened up lottery, which is gaming, it's gambling, we said, 'if they can do it, that means, we can do it to.' If the state wasn't gambling back then, but they do it now, why can we do it along with the state?" The reservation's council, elective officials at that time, thought the Restoration Act wasn't cleared, so thought they had a case, and challenged it in court. In the Texas Legislature, some of the representatives claimed it was illegal, and called them uneducated people, drug dealers and criminals. Consequently, the judge made the final decision to close it down. The Tigua Indian Reservation stays away from politics now. They've learned their lesson.

The Tigua Indian Tribe officials have been fighting back since Speaking Rock Casino was closed, but haven't been successful in the Texas Legislature. Recently, the tribe put the bill into for a vote in Austin to re-open the casino. The result was a 66/66 tie, it did not passed. The Lt. Governor was very disappointed by the comments that were made from certain individuals. However, he believes everything in this earth happens for a reason. "But it's not over, we'll continue to fight for the casino," affirmed Hisa. In the past, the Tiguas had opened a bill for Bingo and it passed, but it went back to the house and it didn't passed. "The court order is so strict now that they don't even let us operate Bingo. But we'll continue to struggle and move forward. We're not going to sit here and cry about it," said the governor.

The tribe employed over 800 individuals to work in the casino. The money that had been generated from Speaking Rock Casino, according to the governor, was used for housing, education, wellness center, healthcare and substance abuse programs, social services, a pharmacy, a library and a courthouse. "There was nothing but positive for us and the City of El Paso," stated the governor.

But then, he said there were people from the other side of Texas saying that having a casino was nothing but wrong. They were saying that there were drug dealers, and that the crime rate had gone higher. "There was a lot of crime here in the Lower Valley before the casino. With the casino we had security and police. The crime rate actually dropped in the Lower Valley. They just don't see it...they don't want to see it. They just go with some stats that happened in Mississippi, but they don't actually come and see what was here. They never visited our reservation to see what we were doing with the money. They blind themselves. They don't like to think outside their boxes," said the governor. In addition, from those 800 people who were employed, only 80 individuals remained employed.

According to Hisa, before the casino closed, there was no excused for not getting any type of assistance, the services were there. The Tigua Indian Reservation receives funding from the Indian Health Services to get contracts with hospitals and local physicians in order to send their people to get medical help. The reservation also provides a health clinic, dental, optometrist and diabetes management, which is a big killer among certain individuals in their community. People get checked and then go to see a doctor, whom the tribe has contract with.

They presently have contracts with local pharmacies where they get discounts on the medications, but these are still expensive. The governor pointed out that when they had the casino, there were no problems, everything was covered. They had people employed who would go to the patient's house and check on them. But now since Speaking Rock Casino closed, the funds have been limited. "As a matter of fact, right now, the department that pays the medical bills contacted us yesterday telling us that they're going to have to get a little bit more strict, and start denying a lot of things that happen because the money is running out. When the casino was opened, money will never run out. Everybody who lived in the community was insured, whether you were Indian or adopted...everybody had healthcare," explained Hisa. Now, according to the governor, that program has been cut. Only two individuals that are considered very high risk are insured now. The Tigua Tribe went down from 500 individuals being insured to 2.

Also, the drop-out rate had gone from 50% to 1% when the casino was opened. They had a lot of people going to college and universities. A lot of people were taking advantage of the opportunity. The Tiguas now depend more on the money they receive from the federal government, which they do appreciate it.

In conclusion, the tribe is in the process of obtaining a grant to open other businesses, so that they don't have to depend on a casino. The future project will help generate more jobs not only for their people, but also for the City of El Paso. "If we can benefit from something, everyone else should," stated Hisa. At the present, the Tiguas own Wings Restaurant, Cacique Cafe, Cultural Center, Angelito's Day Care, 6 convenience stores, an oil distributing company, and a trucking company that distributes fuel.

At around July or August of 2006, the tribe put in an application for trust to build a casino in Chaparral, NM. They have 10 acres set aside to build a casino. Even though it's a long process for this to actually take place, the tribe will continue to think positive and take advantage of every opportunity or option they may get.

Moreover, the casino may not be open, but Speaking Rock is still open, which has a few games that are allowed by the state, such as poker tournaments and eightliners. These don't compare to the revenue the casino generated, but at least is keeping some people employed. Hisa invites everyone to go to Speaking Rock and have a good time. Again, it may not be the full casino, but they have games that are legalized by the state.

He also invites everyone to celebrate with them St. Anthony's Feast Day on June 13th. On June 11th, the tribe walks around blessing the area and performs dances in costumes, initiating the feast. They prepare the church and the meals for the ceremony. Everyone is welcome to attend and everyone gets to eat. There are special rituals, prayers and ceremonies that are sacred, therefore are kept within the tribe.

If you would like more information, you may contact Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Tigua Indian Reservation of Texas at (915) 859-8053, or visit at 119 S. Old Pueblo Rd., El Paso, TX 79907 or email at chisa@ydsp-nsn.gov.