Interior opens public comment on Juaneño Band federal recognition petition

The Department of the Interior has given notice that the group known as the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, a petitioner for federal acknowledgment as an American Indian Tribe, has supplemented its documented petition and is seeking public comment and evidence on it. Comments and evidence must be postmarked by 18 February 2027. The notice, signed by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs William Henry Kirkland III, was published in the Federal Register of 21 October 2026 as FR Doc. 2026–21476.

The notice was issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under docket 278A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 and appears at page 66581 of Volume 91, Number 202, in the Notices section. The Department states that the petition “has not yet received a final agency decision” and will be evaluated pursuant to the standards and processes set forth in the current acknowledgment regulations. Portions of the supplemented petition are publicly available on the website of the Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA), and the office is expressly seeking public comment on the petition.

A petition first filed in 1988

According to the notice, the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation submitted a documented petition on 24 February 1988, for evaluation under a previous version of the acknowledgment regulations, as they existed prior to 31 July 2015. On 1 July 2015 the Department revised 25 CFR part 83 (80 FR 37862), and the regulations became final and effective on 31 July 2015.

Pursuant to 25 CFR 83.7 of the revised regulations, the tribe chose to complete the petitioning process under the revised rules and has now supplemented its petition. The Department notes that a key goal of the 2015 revisions was to improve transparency through increased notice of petitions and improved public access to them.

Where comments and evidence must be sent

The notice sets a single postmark deadline and two channels for submissions:

• Deadline: comments and evidence must be postmarked by 18 February 2027.
• Postal address: Department of the Interior, Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, Attention: Office of Federal Acknowledgment, Mail Stop 4071 MIB, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240.
• Email: Ofa_Info@bia.gov.
• Further information: Ms. Nikki Bass, OFA Director, by phone at (202) 513–7650 or by email at Ofa_Info@bia.gov.
• Petitioner’s contact information: Mr. Nathan Banda, 31411 LaMatanza St., Ste. A, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.

What the acknowledgment office publishes

Alongside the notice, OFA publishes on its website (www.bia.gov/as-ia/ofa) a defined set of materials and opportunities for the public:

• The narrative portion or portions of the supplemented documented petition, as submitted by the petitioner, with any redactions appropriate under 25 CFR 83.21(b).
• The name, location and mailing address of the petitioner and other information identifying the entity.
• The date of receipt of the petition.
• The opportunity for individuals and entities to submit comments and evidence supporting or opposing the petitioner’s request for acknowledgment within 120 days of the date of the website posting.
• The opportunity for individuals and entities to request to be kept informed of general actions regarding this specific petitioner.

The Department publishes the notice and request for comment in the exercise of authority delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs by Department Manual part 209, chapter 8.

The publication opens a formal window for tribes, researchers, local governments and members of the public to place evidence on the record before the Office of Federal Acknowledgment completes its evaluation of a petition that has been pending since 1988. Because the notice confirms that no final agency decision has been issued, the material submitted by the 18 February 2027 postmark deadline will enter the file on which that decision is ultimately based.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 202, 21 October 2026, Notices, p. 66581 (official reference: FR Doc. 2026–21476).