Bay Area tribe seeks to reclaim The Presidio
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The Presidio has been a national landmark since 1962. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In the latest escalation over the Presidio's future, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is petitioning the Trump administration to hand over supervision of the 1,500-acre national park back to Indigenous people.
The latest: The tribe in mid-March called on President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum "to return land back to Indigenous hands while simultaneously accomplishing your goals of making the federal government smaller," according to the petition, which the tribe is partnering with the Lakota People's Law Project to secure public support for.
Catch up quick: The Muwekma Ohlone's move is in response to Trump's executive order from February seeking to eliminate the Presidio Trust.
- The federal agency was created in 1996 to oversee the historic site, which once served as a military base.
What they're saying: "This president wants to dismantle the Presidio Trust and what better hands to manage that land than the people of the area — the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe," tribal chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh told Axios.
Between the lines: The petition is the most recent effort in their long-sought struggle for "rematriation," the women-led process behind reclaiming sovereignty on ancestral lands. The goal is to create a new reservation for the tribe to call home, Nijmeh said.
- "This is not new — it's just another opportunity to have access to a piece of land in our Aboriginal territory," she added. "We want to live on our land, like our ancestors did. We don't want to be visitors."
The big picture: The national park has been caught in the political crossfire of Trump's retaliation campaign against his enemies — including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who championed the effort to create the trust.
The other side: A representative from the Presidio Trust declined to comment on the petition but made note that the tribe's claim that their effort would "reduce federal taxpayer spending" is incorrect since no ongoing taxpayer funds are used to operate the site.
- The trust gets its funding from revenue obtained through its businesses, leasing activities and private donations, which earned $182 million in 2024.
Flashback: Ohlone ancestors long inhabited the Presidio and surrounding region before the site became a military outpost during the Mexican-American war. The Muwekma Ohlone tribe, which remains unrecognized, has been fighting to affirm its federal status for more than 45 years.
- Today, there are more than 600 members living in the Bay Area, Nijmeh said.
What's next: Tribal leaders are hoping to get a consultation with the Trump administration to discuss the request within the next six months.