Right wing think tanks. Oil and gas, so many people. It is an attack on the concept and rubric of Indian law. If ICWA is struck down as problematically race-based then so could be eventually the entire bureau of Indian affairs and tribal nations as we know them. The land and minerals that would enter the federal domain is incredible. Among other outcomes.

Private fostering and adoption agencies. In GOP states they deliberately underfund DCS and divert funds to privately run agencies (many of which are faith based) to cover the gap. It serves a double purpose, because it’s a grift that funnels public aid money into private hands, plus faith based organizations can refuse services to whoever they feel like. In this case, it’s partially a cash grab and partially wanting to appease folks who are beholden to some kind of weird, assimilationist fantasy about saving the defenseless natives.

It’s really oil and gas. The big law firm that did pro bono work on this is Gibson & Dunn, which represents Chevron and Energy Transfer Partners (DAPL). They are trying to end all tribal sovereignty because tribal lands have billions in fossil fuel and mineral wealth. And they want to make sure there is no Indigenous resistance like Standing Rock. Others will benefit too, but it’s mostly a Trojan horse for O&G.

If you like podcasts, This Land is great to learn about ICWA.

White Christiam Nationalists. The goal is to covert Indians as children and destroy their culture. Even thoigh many Indians are already Christian, it makes them think they have a feathet in their cap for God.