More than 200 dissident members of the
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas occupied a casino Wednesday in a
dispute stemming from the group's vote to oust tribal leadership.

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction Wednesday rejecting the
dissidents' vote, and ordered them to leave the Lucky Eagle casino and
other tribal buildings. The judge said federal marshals would enforce the
order if the group refuses.

Officials with the Maverick County sheriff's department said there had been
no arrests or reports of violence in the casino occupation. The standoff
continued late Wednesday afternoon in Eagle Pass, a town of about
22,000 near the Mexican border.

In a traditional election without ballots, the dissidents voted Monday to
replace all tribal council members, saying they did not represent the
majority of the tribe, which has about 500 members.

Tribal council chairman Raul Garza denounced the election as illegal, and
the Bureau of Indian Affairs has said it will not recognize the new council
because the transfer of authority was not done in an orderly manner.