Law Leads To Little Girl Being Taken From The Only Family She's Known.

Foster parents obviously distraught

Rusty and Summer Page lost their 6 year old foster child Lexi due to a law that was set in place in 1978 Called the Indian Child Welfare Act. This law is supposed to "protect" the interests of Native American Children. With Lexi being 1/64 - or 1.56 percent - Choctaw...the intent is to keep her with members of her own tribe or at the very least...another Native American family. The Pages have been fighting this to no avail although Summer Page is part Native American as well. They want to adopt Lexi as well. The courts keep rejecting their efforts in this battle. However, the Pages will continue to appeal. Neighbors have said that they didn't even know that Lexi was a foster child.

Lexi leaving the home

Rusty seen here taking Lexi and her favorite teddy bear out of their home and heart-breakingly handing her over to authorities after a court order lifted an emergency stay to keep Lexi in her home. Social workers immediately took action to remove her. Lexi can be heard saying to wanted to stay and that she was scared!

I love you Lexi!

Summer and her other children are screaming and crying as they watch Lexi being taken away. Summer yells out "I love you Lexi!" The children now sleep in Lexi's room so they can feel close to her. Every time they hear the front door open the youngest one always gets excited and says "Lexi's home!" Only to be let down when she realizes that isn't so.

Clearly heart broken

Rusty is so heart broken that he can barely speak of her with out a complete breakdown. His heart is in pieces. The Pages and the children in the family love Lexi so much that it breaks all their hearts. Through the tears Rusty says ""Our family is so incredibly devastated, But nobody could possibly be more devastated than our 6-year-old daughter, who found herself restrained in a car and driven away to go and live in a foreign place hundreds of miles from her family, friends, teachers, home and life."

Keep Lexi Home!

People from the community gathered as they were ripping Lexi from the only home she's ever known and loved. Over 100,000 people have signed a petition in support of returning Lexi back home to the Pages. You too can show your support at Change.org There is also a GoFunfMe page that has raised over $35,000 to help the Pages with their legal battle.

Prayer

Many of the gatherers stayed long after Lexi was taken and prayed for Lexi's return. Rusty told the supporters gathered outside his home that they don't eat or sleep much but strength for today will lead to bright hope for tomorrow.

Is it really in her best interest?

At 17 months, Lexi was removed from her biological mother who was dealing with substance abuse and her biological father who apparently has quite and extensive criminal history. Lexi falls under the ICWA because he father is part Choctaw and belongs to a tribe. Efforts to reunify her with her father haven't gone well. She acts out when she knows she has to visit him and got even worse once they introduced over night visits. The Pages say it would take her days to "get over" having been for a visit with her father. This has been an ongoing battle with the courts since 2011. Lexi now lives with NON-Blood relatives of her father. They also care for one of her half siblings and another half sibling just lives down the street.

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