An American Indian tribe is suing to claim ownership of Liberty Island, site of the Statue of Liberty. "Ellis Island is ours and so is the Statue of Liberty," Indian chief Ron Roberts of the Western Mohegan Tribe said in a statement of claim. Roberts said it might give Ellis Island back to New Jersey "and we may ... give the statue back to France." A spokesman for the New York Attorney General called the lawsuit "frivolous ... the group isn't recognized as a tribe by the Department of the Interior." The lawsuit comes as the states of New York and New Jersey continue a legal fight over ownership of Ellis Island.

We say, give Liberty Island back to the Indians--if they promise to turn it into a casino.

[02/16/1997]