No UK visas for Native American lacrosse team
July 15 2010 by Liam Clifford
The Iroquois lacrosse team, entirely made of Native American players, have been told that they will not be granted UK visas as they are using passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, which are invalid.
The team does not want to use US
or Canadian passports as they claim the documents would be an attack on their
identities.
The decision not to grant them UK visas to play in the World
Lacrosse Championships in Manchester is a huge disappointment to the players.
Particularly after they were given special permission to travel with the
passports by Hilary Clinton, the US Secretary of State.
The passports
have been issued by the Iroquois Confederacy, which covers six Indian nations
between New York State and Ontario in Canada. The team ranks fourth in the world
in the sport and the US granted them a one-time waiver after their passports
were judged to no longer be in adherence with new tougher US immigration and
passport rules.
The team says it may now have to forfeit its scheduled
game against England after being told they will not be able to
travel.
The Iroquois were involved in the invention of lacrosse some
1,000 years ago.
See the latest Immigration News
