Last week, we learned why the federal government took over the Red Lake Nation’s child welfare program in northern Minnesota.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs assumed control of the program on September 10. The Minnesota Star Tribune obtained an 11-page letter the Department of the Interior sent to tribal leaders the day before the takeover. The letter describes multiple children who died from abuse or neglect since 2021. Federal officials allege the program’s failure to act contributed to some of those deaths. They also say it refused to cooperate with federal investigators. Red Lake Nation disputes parts of the letter and is appealing the decision.
The details are hard to read. Children were returned to homes after reports of abuse. Removal orders were overruled. One baby was born exposed to drugs, sent home to a mother with a known history of drug use, and later overdosed on her fentanyl.
It is the same pattern we document in our Child Fatalities from Maltreatment report. Our last two reports found that fentanyl caused 20 to 43 percent of child abuse deaths in Minnesota. A baby in a home where fentanyl is present is one accidental exposure away from death.
That is why Safe Passage is considering a bill this upcoming session that would require judges to consider the presence of fentanyl in the home when deciding whether to remove a child.
Every child in Minnesota deserves the same protection, whether their case is handled by a county, or a tribal nation. Every system that fails a child deserves the same scrutiny. We will keep telling their stories, and the stories of every Minnesota child we’ve lost, until the systems meant to protect them do.