A coalition of Native American tribes and students has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to reverse its recent dismissal of federal staff at Native schools, which they claim has drastically impacted the quality of education.
These dismissals are part of a broader wave of layoffs orchestrated by the Department of Government Efficiency, which has eliminated thousands of federal positions since January. This reduction resulted in nearly 25% of the workforce being cut at the only two federally operated colleges for Native individuals in the United States: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque.
Among those affected in February were instructors, a basketball coach, and personnel in security and maintenance roles. While the exact number of layoffs was unclear as of Sunday, the cuts also affected staff at the central and regional offices of the Bureau of Indian Education, a federal agency. Some employees, but not all, have been reinstated, as per a statement from the Native American Rights Fund, which has initiated the lawsuit in federal court in Washington. Approximately 45,000 pupils are enrolled in bureau-funded schools across 23 states.
Due to these cuts, numerous courses at the two colleges have lost their instructors, according to the lawsuit. Furthermore, the absence of support and maintenance staff led to school dormitories becoming overwhelmed with trash, students reporting brown water that was undrinkable, inadequate meals in dining halls, and frequent power outages that hindered students’ ability to study.
“Sadly, these dismissals were executed without proper planning and with disregard for the health and safety of the students, continuing a pattern of neglect and disrespect,” stated Jacqueline De León, a legal representative for the tribes and students. “We are here to ensure that this does not persist.”
Attorneys from the Native American Rights Fund filed the lawsuit against the leaders of the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Office of Indian Education Programs.
The plaintiffs include the tribal nations of the Pueblo of Isleta, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Additionally, five students from the two colleges are also part of the plaintiffs.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees the Bureaus of Indian Education and Indian Affairs, indicated that the department does not provide comments on ongoing litigation.
The federal government is bound by a legal obligation known as the federal Indian trust responsibility, which mandates the protection and maintenance of the special relationship it shares with federally recognized tribes.
This obligation, reaffirmed by federal courts since as early as 1831, entails responsibilities to uphold tribal sovereignty, collaborate with tribes on initiatives and policies that affect them, and honor their right to make decisions that serve their own interests. The lawsuit contends that by failing to consult with tribes before the firings, the government breached this trust obligation.
“Despite having a treaty obligation to provide educational opportunities for Tribal students, the federal government has consistently fallen short in delivering adequate services,” commented Hershel Gorham, the lieutenant governor of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. “Just when the Bureau of Indian Education was making progress to address these issues, these cuts have undermined those efforts. These institutions are vital to our communities; we refuse to passively witness their decline.”
The U.S. government shares a troubled history with Native schools. Over the span of more than 150 years, hundreds of thousands of Native children were placed in boarding schools, frequently after being taken from their families, in an effort to assimilate them into non-Native culture. Instances of abuse and neglect were widespread in the original assimilation schools, and mass graves have been discovered near these institutions throughout the nation. One such cemetery at Haskell contains the remains of over 100 individuals.
Since 2010, federal investment in tribal schools has declined, coinciding with a drop in the enrollment of Native American and Alaska Native students.
As per the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization, Native American and Alaska Native students represent the smallest ethnic demographic in the country, making up less than 1 percent of postsecondary school enrollment in 2021, which is the most recent year for which data is available.
Alan Blinder contributed reporting.
