DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNC Native Caucus Chair Clara Pratte released the following joint statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brackeen v. Haaland:

“We applaud today’s ruling upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act. For over 40 years, the Indian Child Welfare Act has safeguarded the wellbeing of Native American children and tribes by establishing federal standards for child custody proceedings involving Native American children and giving preference to Native families for foster and adoptive placements of Native American children. 

“No Native child should ever be forcibly removed from their community when relatives or Native foster families are available. Following ICWA’s passage, study after study has found that the law has had positive outcomes for Native American children – including higher self-esteem and lower instances of substance abuse. By affirming the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Supreme Court is securing the wellbeing of thousands of children across Indian Country. 

“Democrats will continue to stand up for Tribal rights and respect our centuries long government-to-government relationship. Today, the Supreme Court did the right thing, but we continue to remain vigilant as we know there is still more work to do to continue to protect the rights of our most vulnerable communities.”