Part-Choctaw girl taken from Santa Clarita foster home.
By Red Power Media, Staff | Mar 21 2016
A part-Choctaw girl was removed from her foster home under the Indian Child Welfare Act to be sent to live with family in Utah.
The 6-year-old girl named Lexi, was taken by social workers, despite efforts by the foster family and supporters to try to block the move.
On Monday, under the watchful eye of various cell phone cameras, social workers arrived at the home of Rusty and Summer Page in Santa Clarita California, shortly before 3 p.m. to take Lexi, so she can be placed with Choctaw Nation blood relatives in Utah.
The move was taken under the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, which was enacted in the 1970s to help protect the interests of Native American children.
The Pages, who took in Lexi four years ago to live with them had been fighting the move, but last Friday, they lost their appeal to keep her. They say they want to adopt Lexi and say the girl considers them and their three children to be her family.
The Page family has made a plea to let Lexi stay with them at least until they can take the case to the California Supreme Court to file a stay of the removal order, which they planned on doing Monday.
Lexi was supposed to be taken away on Sunday, but Department of Children and Family Services agents postponed the meeting after a large group of supporters crowded the neighborhood to stand against her removal.
Dozens of people demonstrate against authorities’ plans to take a 6-year-old girl from her foster family’s custody and place her with Choctaw Nation blood relatives who live in Utah.
In a statement, a court appointed attorney for Lexi said, “Her family in Utah have been waiting to receive her for over 3 years, during that time they have traveled to California monthly and she has visited their home as well.
“The injustice here is not that she is leaving California but rather that her foster parents pursued litigation which prevented her from joining her family sooner.”
In another statement, the Choctaw Nation said it wants what is best for Lexi.
“The Choctaw Nation desires the best for this Choctaw child. The tribe’s values of faith, family and culture are what makes our tribal identity so important to us. Therefore we will continue to work to maintain these values and work toward the long-term best interest of this child,” it said.
RED POWER MEDIA 
The foster parents knew from the outset that Lexington was NEVER going to be adoptable. The same as another child they tried to do the same with before this, who they also lost.
If their goal is to adopt children, why don’t they just DO SO…rather than fostering them (and getting the government money), and then try to keep them?
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This child should’ve been placed with her family early on and. placed with her sibling that lives with that family this is ridiculous people are making it out that the tribe did this but it’s not. It’s the state and the foster family that is hurting this little girl. They should not have fought this three years ago.
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This is abuse! The girl has very little Indian blood. This will ruin her life. Kids have no rights! New people will continue to abuse her as they already have. She will be labelled a trouble maker and put on drugs to contain her grief. Evil people!!
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this was a weird title from you guys – do we think of each other as “part” NDN? my understanding is that the Chahta Nation defines its members by ancestry, not blood quantum. and “taken” from foster “home”? that’s pretty loaded. I think you do great work … but this title really surprised me. if you’re not going to be pro-NDN, how about at least neutral?
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Im glad shes finally at home and not under government control anymore. I destest DHS,
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A lot of people have native blood in them. This is just down right wrong. This to me is more of a racist act then a caring act for this child. If this child was a black child in a white family would she have been removed? NO……. Time for everyone to get over stuff like this and give her back to the only family she has. Such nonsence.
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The child should never have been placed in a non-aboriginal home in the first place. That’s where the system failed. ICWA should have been followed in the first place. Extended family is valued and recognized more in aboriginal culture than Occidental culture. Secure her identity in her First Nations ppl!
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Think you need to read what white welfare workers have done in this regards to Native children in South Dakota by passing the ICWA. You should also read the Native ways of life as far as families and extended families. Bottom line is they have their rights.
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Ignorant bastards.
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Where was her family 4 years ago. This child has just been traumatized, ripping her from her safety and security. This was not about protecting this precious little girl.
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Read the whole story!!! The family HAS been in her life from the beginning!
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Actually, they are NOT blood relatives. She is only related to them through marriage (step-grandfather). And from what I read in another article, the mother in the foster family has native ancestry, although not officially registered with any tribe. If they were really interested in her having exposure to Indian culture, she just lost it.
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Tribe ? Indian? Pretty sure you done lost it
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They should have Adopted her Sooner ! But it’s seems Clear that ICWA Needs to Go Over these Laws Dated from the 1970’s & Close some Loop-Holes. This is 2016.
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