Deadline looms as Iroquois lacrosse team talks with US State Dept. about passport dispute
By Samantha Gross, APWednesday, July 14, 2010
Iroquois lacrosse team awaiting word in ID dispute
NEW YORK — Talks are under way between the State Department and an Iroquois team that refuses to use U.S. passports for travel to the Lacrosse World Championship in England.
A State Department official said Wednesday that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken an interest in the case. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing.
Clinton is a former New York senator. The Iroquois Confederacy oversees land that stretches from upstate New York into Ontario, Canada.
The team needs to get on a Wednesday flight to make a Thursday evening game in Manchester, England.
The players want to use passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy. They regard U.S. government-issued documents as an attack on their identity.
Associated Press Writer Matt Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
