Updated October 25, 2024 at 4:45 PM ET

President Biden on Friday formally apologized for the federal government’s Native American boarding schools, saying it was a “terrible time” in the nation’s history.

“The federal government has never formally apologized for what happened. “As president of the United States, I formally apologize for our actions,” he told Native American tribes and others gathered at Gila Crossing Community School in the Gila River Indian Community outside Phoenix. “It’s long overdue.”

For more than 150 years, the U.S. government operated more than 400 schools to separate tens of thousands of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their parents, assimilate them, and subject them to abuse and even death. Biden said most Americans are unaware of the government’s role in “one of the most horrific chapters in American history.”

A Ministry of Internal Affairs report revealed that at least 973 children died in schools. Ministry of Internal Affairs report He also called for a formal apology, among other suggestions.

The White House press secretary said the apology, which comes less than two weeks before Election Day, is part of Biden’s legacy. Biden used the speech to explain what it means to be an American and how important it is to acknowledge both the good and bad parts of U.S. history.

“We are not erasing history,” Biden said in his Friday speech. “We remember so that we can heal as a nation.”

“Local voter wall”

The timing of the visit and apology comes ahead of Election Day as Vice President Harris is locked in a tight presidential race against former President Donald Trump. The Gila River reservation, home to the O’odham and Pee-Posh people, lies partly within Maricopa County, one of the counties that could decide the outcome of the 2024 presidential race.

As Election Day approaches, Democrats hope Native voters in key states like Arizona will help secure the White House. Harris at least got support from leaders 17 of the 22 federally recognized tribes – Including the Gila River Indian Community. Other Native tribes have also issued voter guides. Democratic regarding candidate information.

“We talk about the Blue Wall, but there is a Native voter wall,” said Gila River Indian Community Governor Stephen Roe Lewis. The Blue Wall refers to states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the Midwest that traditionally supported Democrats but are now considered swing states. Lewis noted the significant presence of Native voters in key states like Arizona, Montana and Wisconsin.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

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AFP via Getty Images

“These could very well determine the outcome up and down the ballot in these very slim races,” he said.

The White House said Biden would use the visit to discuss his administration’s record of “serving tribal communities,” including keeping his promise to visit.

Republicans dismissed the timing of the trip to Arizona as a political ploy by the White House and also sought to appeal to Native voters.

Haylee Dobbins, communications director of the Republican National Committee in Arizona, said Republican policies would better support this community and said, “Joe Biden’s visit to the Native American community less than two weeks before the election is nothing more than a photo op.”

Not the first high-profile visit

Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Both held events on Gila River soil earlier this month with Lewis promoting.

Arizona overall is home to more than 200,000 Native Americans of voting age, and voting rights advocates and political parties work all year to get their votes cast.

Over the past few months, Harris’ campaign ramps up efforts Courting Native American voters. The campaign boasted of making the most “broad” effort to mobilize Native Democrats, hiring more than 20 staffers dedicated to reaching out to the state’s 22 federally recognized tribes and buying ads. throughout the election through tribal media.

Walz is already preparing to return to visit Arizona tribal members. Immediately after Biden leaves, the vice presidential candidate will arrive in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, which stretches from Arizona to New Mexico and a little into Utah.

Former President Donald Trump also visited the state on Thursday, but has yet to visit Native American communities specifically.

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