As the U.S. Supreme Court a challenge to the , several states in the Mountain West are preparing their own laws to protect tribal rights should the court deem ICWA unconstitutional.
ICWA requires state courts to prioritize placing Native American children in foster or adoption care within their own tribal communities. It was passed in 1978 in response to the large number of Indigenous children who were being separated from their families, tribes and cultures.
The plaintiffs in the case, , argue the law discriminates against non-Indigenous people. Wyoming State Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, is among those who disagree.
鈥淚 want to make sure that we step back just for a half a second and realize that these are sovereign tribes,鈥� he said in recent testimony. 鈥淭his isn't necessarily about the race issue. This is about granting those rights to the sovereign tribes.鈥�
The Wyoming Legislature to codify ICWA protections for Indigenous nations. and lawmakers are considering similar laws, and passed one last year. Several and have said overturning ICWA would lead to too many children being separated from their cultures and communities 鈥� and .
The Supreme Court began considering the case in November and is expected to make a ruling in the spring.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .
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