Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare

WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING MAIL 11/ 21/13, 1:47pm -

From:"Sullivan, Thomas (ACF)"Date:Nov 21, 2013 1:45:05 PM EST To: "Mcmullen, Marrianne (ACF)"cc: "Chang, Joo Yeun (ACF)" "McCauley, Mike (ACF)" "Greenberg, Mark (ACF)"

Spirit Lake

In the early evening of October 21, 2013, CNN broadcast a detailed and substantive report entitled Sex Abuse Rampant on Indian Reservation; about the epidemic of child sexual abuse on the Spirit Lake Reservation. That broadcast ran a little more than 6 months after former Acting Assistant Secretary Sheldon’s April 15, 2013 letter to me prohibiting me, in my official capacity as Denver Regional Administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), from filing any more Mandated Reports about child sexual abuse at Spirit Lake...

~ (Read the Full Letter at http://caicw.org) ~

Even small donations help tremendously. - $10, $15, $20. This is what is needed. Please Donate.

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ADVOCACY: Nov. 2013 - We are in DC speaking to legislative offices concerning the issues raised by Mr. Sullivan.

Additional facts:

Washington DC, June 25 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gave partial victory inAdoptive Couple v. BabyGirl by ruling the Indian Child Welfare Act does not apply when an Indian parent never had custody of the Indian child.

In ruling when adoption of an Indian child is voluntarily and lawfully initiated by a non-Indian parent with sole custodial rights, ICWA goal of preventing unwarranted removal of Indian children and dissolution of Indian families is not implicated, families across America were unshackled from this federal law.

Across the nation,ICWA cases involving children who had never been on a reservation and whose enrolled parent never had custody dissolved. The Christian Alliance for Indian Child Welfare is relieved IWCA was rightfully limited.

However, many more families remainsubjected to it. 75% of citizens is applies to do NOT live in Indian Country. Many families do not want this law to have jurisdiction over their children. Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurrence to the June 25 ruling, suggested ICWA is unconstitutional.

Though some argue the act has safeguards to prevent misuse, scores of multi-racial children have been hurt by it. The reality is that ICWA hurts many children, birth parents, grandparents and other family members – not just foster and pre-adoptive families.

Even children of 100% tribal heritage can be and have been devastated if taken from the only home they know and love, even if it is non-tribal, and placed into a reservation or non-reservation home they have never known.

It is argued all children of heritage belong to the tribe, but US citizens are guaranteed Constitutional rights and some tribal members have specifically chosen to take their families and live outside of the authority of federal Indian policy.

In the words of Dr. William B. Allen, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Right,... we are talking about our brothers and our sisters. We are talking about what happens to people who share with us an extremely important identity. And that identity is the identity of free citizens in a Republic."(Re: ICWA, 9/20/08, Wahkon, MN)

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MINISTRY- Too often we have seen mothers, once children have been removed by social services, lose motivation to succeed and delve deeper into drugs and alcohol - never to get their children back.

Roland J. Morris, Sr. was victoriousover his alcoholism through the reality of Jesus Christ. From the time he came to Christ, he worked to bring family members to salvation.

The "Roland J. Morris Drug and Alcohol Treatment Home" will be a long term (12 -24 mos) alcohol and drug treatment facility designed to keep the family unit together, allowing parents and guardians to bring their young children with them during treatment while learning parenting and work skills.

Patterned after'Teen Challenge,' the RJM home will reach out to parents and grandparents in pain, offering them the tools and knowledge they need to help their families grow well together.

Mission:To provide families an effective and comprehensive faith-based prevention or solution to drug and alcohol addiction through long-term.

Even small donations help a lot. $10, $15, $20. Please Donate.