President Biden officially apologized for the historic sins of Native American residential schools

LAVINE VILLAGE, Ariz. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday formally apologized to Native Americans for the “sin” of the government’s residential school system that has forcibly separated Native American children from their parents for decades, calling it a “stain on American history” during his first visit to his home country.

“This is a sin on our souls,” Biden said, his voice thick with anger and emotion. “Frankly, there is no excuse for it taking 50 years to issue this apology.”

Biden spoke about the abuse and death of Native children as a result of federal government policies, as he noted that a shameful story remains unknown and needs to be told. The president detailed how his policies aim to support Native Americans with jobs and new infrastructure.

Democrats hope Biden’s visit to the Gila River Indian Community on the outskirts of metro Phoenix in Arizona will also boost Vice President Kamala Harris’ turnout efforts in the key battleground state.

Biden, whose presidency is ending, promised tribal leaders almost two years ago that he would visit Indian country.

The president, speaking to reporters Thursday before leaving for Arizona, said an apology for the US government’s role in the abuse and neglect of indigenous children “should have been done a long time ago.” For decades, federal boarding schools, according to the White House, have been used to assimilate children into white society.

The moment will also give Biden an opportunity to highlight his and Harris’ support for tribal nations, a group that has historically favored Democrats, in a state he won by just 10,000 votes in 2020.

The race between Harris and former President Donald Trump is expected to be just as tight, with both campaigns doing everything they can to boost turnout among “core” supporters.

“Right now, the turnout in the race is on,” said Mike O’Neill, a nonpartisan Arizona pollster. “The trend lines were surprisingly stable. The question is which candidate will be able to win over voters in what appears to be a close race.”

Harris and other Democrats used Biden sparingly on the campaign trail after he ended his campaign in July.

But analysts say Biden could help Harris in her appeal to Native American voters, a group that lags behind others in turnout.

In 2020, voter turnout on some Arizona tribal lands increased as Biden beat Trump to become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1996.

Biden is making the visit in his official capacity, and a formal apology — something the tribes have long sought — seems certain to draw the attention of Native Americans across the country.

At least 973 Native American children died in the violent U.S. residential school system over a 150-year period that ended in 1969, according to an Interior Department investigation that demanded an apology from the U.S. government.

At least 18,000 children, some as young as 4, were taken from their parents and forced to attend schools that sought to assimilate them.

“President Biden is to be commended for finally addressing this issue and other issues affecting society,” said Ramona Charette Klein, 77, a boarding school survivor and charter member of the Turtle Mountain Orchestra in Chippewa. “I think it will reflect well on Vice President Harris, and I hope that momentum continues.”

She added that whoever becomes the next president should take concrete action and begin to compensate for the damage done to the tribes by residential schools.

Democrats intensified work with Indian communities.

Both Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, met with tribal leaders in Arizona and Nevada this month. And Clinton, who served as a surrogate for Harris, met last week in North Carolina with the chief of the Lambie tribe.

The Democratic National Committee recently launched a six-figure advertising campaign targeting Native American voters in Arizona, North Carolina, Montana and Alaska through digital, print and radio ads.

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running against Republican Kari Lake for an open Arizona Senate seat, has visited all 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona.

Harris opened a recent campaign rally in Chandler, near the Gila River Reservation, by shouting out the tribal chief.

She also reminded the crowd that she was the first vice president to visit the reservation. She and husband Doug Emhoff visited the community last year.

“I strongly believe that the relationship between tribal nations and the United States is sacred … and that we must respect tribal sovereignty, accept our trust in treaty obligations and ensure tribal self-determination,” Harris said.

The White House says Both Biden and Harris have extensive experience working with Native Americans over the past four years.

He designated the sacred Avi Kwa Ame, a desert mountain in Nevada, and the Baaj Nwaawjo I’tah Kukweni Footprints of the Ancestors in the Grand Canyon in Arizona as national monuments and restored the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.

In addition, the administration directed nearly $46 billion in federal spending to tribal nations. The money helped electrify a reservation that never had electricity, expand access to high-speed Internet, improve sanitation, build roads, and more.

Biden selected former New Mexico state representative Deb Haaland as his interior secretary, the first Native American appointed to a cabinet position. Haaland is a member of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico.

She, in turn, in June 2021 ordered a comprehensive review of the troubled legacy of the federal government’s residential school policies, prompting Biden to issue a formal apology.

“He made commitments to Indian Country, and he fulfilled every one of those commitments,” Haaland said.

Tom Reilly, co-director of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University, said the Harris and Trump campaigns — and their allies — have made significant efforts to microtarget Arizona.

Harris, Reilly noted, also focused on reducing Trump’s advantage among Mormon voters in the state, a group that has historically favored Republicans. Meanwhile, Trump has focused on young men as the campaign tries to narrow the Democratic lead at the expense of young voters.

“They’re pulling out all the stops to see if they can wring a few more votes here and there,” Reilly said. “The Indian community is one of those groups that Harris hopes will step up and help make a difference.”