Red Lake jail will open five years after being built

In a rare victory for one of Minnesota's poorest and most isolated Indian bands, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa has won a $2 million settlement from the federal government that will allow it to open a long-shuttered detention facility.

"I think we feel as good as we can," Tribal Chairman Floyd Jourdain said Thursday. "I don't think we should have to arm wrestle to this extent just to provide services for our people, but we are pleased with the outcome."

The juvenile detention center was built in 2005 with U.S. Justice Department grants, but it never opened because the band could not get operating funds from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

The band tapped its own meager funds to take the federal government to court in 2006 in an attempt to obtain the money and has been enmeshed in a legal battle ever since that has cost the band about $500,000.

Last year a federal judge in Washington ruled in a summary judgment that the government had breached its agreement with the band to request funding, leaving the question of damages to be resolved at trial.

Band sought $2.4 million

The lawsuit was on the verge of going to trial when government officials entered settlement talks with tribal leaders. The band originally had sought $2.4 million in damages. The government agreed to pay $2 million, according to settlement documents released Thursday by the Justice Department.

Jourdain said the band does not have an exact timeline for opening the facility, adding that the band will also apply for more consistent funding going forward. Band officials have estimated the facility needs about $1.2 million a year to operate.

Facility built in 2005

The band built the detention facility in 2005 to alleviate what tribal leaders called a "youth crisis" of gangs, drugs and truancy on the reservation. The problem was highlighted five years ago when a troubled teenager killed 10 people on the reservation in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

Before construction on the building was complete, the government signed an agreement with Red Lake promising that the BIA would request operating funding in the president's budget.

But the money never came and the building sat unused and empty, save for the thousands of dollars in furniture bought by the U.S. government. BIA officials later said in sworn statements that they never made the request, citing timing complications.

After months of sparring with federal officials, the band enlisted the aid of a powerful international law firm, Holland & Knight, to sue the government.

Center to open soon

Now, Jourdain said, band leaders are eager to open a center that could offer needed training and guidance for the reservation's youth.

"We want to get it open and start meeting the needs of the youth as soon as we possibly can," Jourdain said.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., brought the funding debacle to light at an Indian Affairs Committee hearing this winter. Franken, who sits on the committee, questioned the head of the BIA about the situation, to little effect. On Thursday he said the settlement was a start but wanted to make sure the band didn't run into problems in the future.