Law | National

KQED: Getting child support from Indian men almost 'impossible'

Monday, August 15, 2011

"Collecting child support can be difficult for many mothers, but if the father is Native American, it can be nearly impossible.

Tribes are sovereign nations and don't have to comply with court-ordered child support payments. But some states, including California, are beginning to work with tribes to make sure those payments get to mothers.

Christina Brown lives with her mom and four of her children in Wildomar, Calif., a small town halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. In 2007, Christina left her husband, a tribal member of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, and she's fought ever since to get child support for the three kids they had together.

Christina keeps stacks of boxes in her garage containing the paper trail of her court battle. "These are all just things of me just fighting to get what I'm [owed]," she says. Christina, a high school dropout, represented herself in court. "I've gone so long without support, if I didn't do all of this, I would never see a dollar."

Christina says she wouldn't be able to buy clothes for her children, or pay her mother rent. She's been on and off welfare, lost her house and had two cars repossessed.'

Get the Story:
Tribal Rights Hinder Child Support For Mothers (KQED 8/13)