Imagine fostering a child for four years with the hopes of forever raising her as your own and then having social workers remove her from your home for what some call a “ridiculous” law. This is the reality which the Page family faced recently, when their six year old foster daughter, Lexi, was taken away from them.
The social workers acted on a court order which concluded that the girl’s native American blood requires her placement with relatives in Utah. The court order is based on the regulations under the Indian Child Welfare Act, a 1978 federal law designed to protect Native American children.
Relatives, friends, neighbours and members of church gathered near the Page family home to protest the expected arrival of the county officials. By the time the social workers arrived, there were more than a hundred supporters standing by who were then joined by television news vans.
Lexi was about one and a half years old when her birth parents lost custody of her. Both parents had involvement with drug and criminal activities.
The Pages had challenged the determinations under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act to place Lexi with native American family members of her biological father. The Pages maintained that Lexi had lived with them since she was a toddler and knew no other life. They also argue that she is a mere 1.5 percent Choctaw Indian.
The court order however stated that the Page family “had not proven by clear and convincing evidence that it was a certainty the child would suffer emotional harm by the transfer.”
In this emotional video, the Pages not only speak about their heartbreak and devastation, but also plead with others to educate themselves about this law which he describes an abuse of power by the tribal leaders empowered by the Indian Child Welfare Act.
A Facebook Page titled, Save Lexi, has been set up and has over 30 000 followers. The page posted a statement from the Pages, made shortly after Lexi was taken – in part it stated:
Let me speak directly to the people who took our daughter and who have her now. Please search deep into your heart and soul and do what’s best for Lexi. Do the right thing and bring Lexi back home. Do not keep her one more minute. Do not force her to spend one more night away from us and her siblings. Look her in the eyes and just ask her what she wants. She will tell you she wants to go home. I’m begging every American within the sound of my voice to help us bring Lexi back home.
