To the Editor:

Re “Custody Fight Pits Texas Couple Against a Law Favoring Tribes” (front page, June 6), about a lawsuit challenging a federal law that concerns the adoption of Native American children:

Members of Native American tribes like my own across the country are near unified in our disappointment in those who attack one of the nation’s most important child welfare laws, the Indian Child Welfare Act. As you report, the act has been integral to Native American tribes’ work to ensure the safety of our children and protect the sovereignty of our people.

It is a federal law. It is a best practice. It’s supported by tribes, child welfare groups, leaders from both political parties and the Trump administration. In fact, a number of states, including some of the most conservative in the country, have adopted the act as a matter of state law because it is the gold standard in child welfare.

The Indian Child Welfare Act was established to ensure that children benefit from Native families remaining together. Our families should not ever fear the removal of their children from their tribes and their culture. It is in the best interest of Indian children to keep their connections to their culture, communities and extended families. It’s troubling that anyone would suggest otherwise.

Brandon Yellowbird-Stevens
Oneida, Wis.
The writer is vice chairman of the Oneida Nation.

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