The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is seeking to join a federal lawsuit aimed at halting the construction and operation of a new immigration detention facility in the Everglades, which tribal members consider their sacred ancestral homelands.

The Miccosukee Tribe confirmed Friday evening that its former longtime chairman Billy Cypress had passed away.

For centuries, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida has called the Everglades home. But decades of engineering projects have devastated their ancestral lands and an ecosystem that’s sustained them.

A member of the Miccosukee Tribe who faced federal charges in connection with an April shooting on the tribe’s reservation pleaded guilty to three counts, prosecutors announced Friday.

A Miccosukee Tribe member appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale Monday after he was arrested in connection with a shooting, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday in a news release.

Tribal police are investigating after someone shot a man on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation in far western Miami-Dade County Friday afternoon.

MIAMI, Fla. – The Miccosukee Tribe re-opened its casino Sunday morning with the announcement “From our tribe to yours, Welcome Back!” The Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, off of Krome Avenue, is the first casino in South Florida to open since the coronavirus pandemic. Miami-Dade Carlos Gimenez commented on his Twitter account about the opening, explaining that the county doesn’t have jurisdiction over the tribal lands. We've learned that the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming has already opened. (See the welcome back video below)Guests are required to wipe down a slot or other gaming machine after their use. The casino opened its doors Sunday at 9 a.m. and will stay open until 10 p.m. After Sunday, the casino will be open every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Miccosukee Tribe is reopening its casino after being closed for over a month because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Miccosukee Casino in Southwest Miami-Dade partially reopened before any other South Florida casinos were permitted. "Unlike Miccosukee, which is on tribal lands, other casinos like The Big Easy remain closed, but theyre working around the clock to keep patrons safe when they finally open," said Daniel Adkins with Big Easy Casino. The Big Easy in Hallandale Beach just recently submitting its safety plan to the state. Several other casinos in South Florida have done the same, with some even testing out poker tables with added plexiglass.

The encampment near the intersection of Northwest 71st Street and 32nd Avenue had some 300 registered sex offenders. "Miami-Dade County should be embarrassed because of what these people are living like," said Steve Grafton, owner of Grafton Furniture. Registered sex offenders, whose victims were younger than 16, are required to live away from schools and day cares. Workers from Miami-Dade's Homeless Trust arrived Sunday night with police to give the offenders their eighth and final warning. "We're not going to let another encampment like this grow -- it's just not productive," said Ron Book, with Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.