Native American tribe demanding compensation over highway allegedly built on their land
The Shinnecock tribe is suing New York state officials over the Sunrise Highway, which connects the east end of Long Island to the rest of the region.
By JACK TOLEDO
Published: 01:31 GMT, 29 December 2025 | Updated: 01:31 GMT, 29 December 2025
A Native American tribe in Long Island are seeking money from the state after they filed a lawsuit claiming that a part of a highway was illegally built on their sovereign land.
The Shinnecock Indian Nation filed the federal complaint in the US District Court in Brooklyn on December 22 against New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James after claiming a portion of their Westwoods land in Hampton Bays is continually violated.
The tribe alleged that an easement from 1959 for the construction of Route 27 never received federal approval to be built on a portion of their protected land. An easement is permission to use an entities property for a specific purpose.
The route, also known as the Sunrise Highway, is a vital transportation link connecting the east end of Long Island, including the Hamptons, to the rest of the region. Hampton Bays is approximately 85 miles from New York City.
The Nation is not asking for the highway to be shut down. Still, it is seeking several rulings that would force the state to negotiate a 'valid right-of-way' and proper permissions from the federal government be granted to the state, as well as compensation for the use of land, according to the filing.
'This land is and has always been restricted fee land held by the Nation,' according to the filing.
The stretch of land has been been disputed by the state and the tribe for years.
Leaders of the Native American Nation were sued by the state Department of Transportation and the Town of Southampton in 2019 for operating large digital billboards and a travel plaza near the highway.
The Shinnecock Indian Nation filed the federal complaint claiming a portion of their Westwoods land in Hampton Bays is continually violated.
The tribe claimed that the construction of Route 27, also known as the Sunrise Highway, never received federal approval to be built on a portion of their protected land
The route is a vital transportation link connecting the east end of Long Island, including the Hamptons, to the rest of the region
The billboards generate $900,000 in annual revenue, according to the New York Post.