Committee on Health & Human Relations City Council Meeting March 15, 2023
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) protects Native American children and families by maintaining family integrity, stability and community cohesion by keeping Native American children connected with similar families associated with their respective community and indigenous culture; and,
WHEREAS, ICWA has been universally applauded as a successful government child welfare program that has helped thousands of Native American children during its forty-three year existence; and,
WHEREAS, Despite its successes in helping children maintain healthy lives while remaining connected to their heritage, efforts are currently underway to end the program, most notably "Haaland v Bracken" (formerly Brackeen v Zinke, and Brackeen v Bernardt); and,
WHEREAS, 325 tribal nations, 57 Native organizations, Native American and constitutional law scholars and several Member of Congress urged the Fifth Circuit to uphold ICWA, which it did in August 2019; and,
WHEREAS, The issue of defining "Indian child" came into question and allowed ICWA to again be legally challenged on the grounds that it was unconstitutional; and,
WHEREAS, The United States Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision on the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, which if ruled unconstitutional would strike down a successful program that has lifted up thousands of Native American children across the United States; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COIUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That the City Council of the City of Chicago stands in unified solidarity with the indigenous and sovereign Native nations in demanding the continuation and support of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and urge the United States Supreme Court to decide accordingly.