In re A.R. CA2/6

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A.R. was taken into protective custody when she was two months old because of parents’ substance abuse issues, father’s incarceration and mother’s arrest for child endangerment. Reunification services were offered but both parents failed to reunify with A.R. The juvenile court terminated services and set the matter for a section 366.26 permanency placement hearing. HSA recommended A.R.’s adoption by her maternal great- grandmother. The juvenile court agreed with the recommendation and terminated parental rights to allow the adoption to proceed. Earlier in the case, mother and father denied having any American Indian ancestry on their ICWA-020 Parental Notification of Indian Status forms. Father stated he had “Aztec Ancestry in Mexico.” “Aztec” is not listed among the tribes recognized by the federal government. (Fed.Reg., vol. 86, no. 18 (Jan. 29, 2021).) Five relatives appeared at the September 18, 2019 detention hearing. At the juvenile court’s request, they introduced themselves as the child’s paternal grandfather, paternal grandmother, paternal uncle and aunt, and maternal aunt.3 After informing the relatives they may “remain in the courtroom,”…