Neither child nor parents are enrolled – Why is LICWAC involved?

December 5, 2004

….my wife and I have been foster parents to two beautiful girls 3 and 23 months. The oldest was 15 months when she came to us and her sister was 5 weeks when we got her. She spent the first 5 weeks of her life at the pediatric interim care center in Kent Washington recovering from drugs that her mother used during pregnancy. These girls have the same biological parents, they also have two older sisters that have separate fathers ,who are living in separate foster homes. We have loved and cared for these girls like they are our very own and have planned to adopt them as soon as they became legally free. we have had them nearly two years now. They have bonded very close to all of our extended family, then about 4 months ago the girls were declared Native American on the LICWAC took over and started doing family searches and found a Great Uncle to the oldest girl who is a member of the Crow Nation in Montana so now the two oldest girls will be moving with them the LICWAC had a meeting and has now decided that it is in the best interest of our girls to be moved as well so all four can grow up together. I don’t think it is right to move our girls in with strangers and take them out of a loving and caring family. I want to fight the LICWAC decision but every one I talk to says what the LICWAC says, goes and you cant change it, I know there must be something I can do, I just don’t know where to start please help me, Also my girls are non enroll able and there biological mother is not enrolled so how can the LICWAC even be involved in this?

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