In December 2014, Congress passed the defense spending bill. And amid all the talks about expansion of military power and the treatment of suspected terrorists, one thing — totally unrelated to national defense — was able to slip through the cracks: the selling of sacred Apache land to an Australian mining company.
Now, Arizona Apache Indians are occupying that land in protest. And tribal leader Terry Rambler said the swap is a gross violation of Apache rights.
In 1955, President Eisenhower put forth an executive order protecting the land from mining and in 1971, President Nixon renewed the order.
So how did Congress manage to pass the land swap bill? TIME Foreign Editor Bryan Walsh explains in the above video.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What Kind of President Would Kamala Harris Be?
- Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?
- Why It's So Hard to Quit Vaping
- Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election
- The 10 Races That Will Determine Control of the Senate
- Column: How My Shame Became My Strength
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com