Passport Controversy for Iroquois Lacrosse Team

The U.S. government says it will only let players back into the country if they have U.S. passports, a team official said. The British government, meanwhile, won't give the players visas if they cannot guarantee they'll be allowed to go home, the official said.

I find it hard to understand why the U.S. is being hard-nosed about this, since the Iroquois are working, in good faith, to find a way to update their passports to comply with U.S. regulations. Since the U.S. still recognizes the Iroquois as a sovereign nation (a treaty term dating back almost two centuries), and in light of the tribe's efforts, I have a hard time understanding why Homeland Security would open themselves to negative publicity over a group that clearly enhances American prestige internationally.