Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas has introduced legislation seeking federal recognition for the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, a step that would provide eligible tribal members access to federal services and benefits available to federally recognized tribes.
Gonzalez announced H.R. 10435, the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas Recognition Act, ahead of the Tribe’s 2026 Veterans Powwow scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, in Corpus Christi.
According to Gonzalez’s office, the legislation would formally recognize the Tribe at the federal level and establish eligibility for federal programs and services associated with that status.
“The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas has made significant cultural and historical contributions to the United States,” Gonzalez said. He cited tribal members’ military service and efforts to protect environmental and sacred sites as part of the Tribe’s contributions to South Texas.
Bernard F. Barcena Jr., chairman of the Lipan Apache Tribe, called the introduction of the legislation an important development in the Tribe’s effort to obtain recognition.
Barcena said the Lipan Apache have maintained their community, culture and identity through centuries of political change involving Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States.
The Tribe traces its history to Lipan Apache bands that lived across areas that now include Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Following Texas statehood in 1845, Lipan Apache communities experienced warfare, disease and displacement, with many eventually settling in South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Big Bend regions, according to information provided with the legislation announcement.
Federal recognition has implications beyond the formal government-to-government relationship. Federally recognized tribes may qualify for federal programs involving education, social services, economic development, law enforcement and natural-resource protection.
Tribal Vice Chairman Dr. Robert Soto said recognition also matters for preserving and practicing Lipan Apache religious traditions.
In 2014, a federal court case involving Soto and other plaintiffs resulted in the return of confiscated eagle feathers and protections allowing certain plaintiffs to possess feathers used in religious practices.
Texas lawmakers previously adopted resolutions recognizing the Lipan Apache Tribe and its contributions in 2009 and again in 2019.
Another significant development came in 2021, when the City and County of Presidio transferred the deed to El Cementerio de los Lipanes en el Barrio de los Lipanes, a site the Tribe considers sacred.
The newly introduced legislation must move through the congressional process before it can become federal law.
The full bill text can be viewed here or below:
