If an American child is abused or neglected while living overseas, we expect our government to get involved. If an American couple chooses to adopt a child from another country, it’s no surprise to anyone when that government wants to be engaged in the process to ensure fairness, equity and safety for their children.
The United States’ sovereign tribal nations are no different. Unfortunately, Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas upset this principle and limited tribal nations’ abilities to protect Native American children when he declared the Indian Child Welfare Act unconstitutional last year. This dangerous verdict cannot stand.