National Archives closures threaten access to Tribal records, Native organizations warn

Four Native organizations are urging the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to reconsider its planned closures in Chicago and San Bruno, California, and to consult affected Tribal Nations before relocating archival collections.

In a joint letter dated October 14, the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS), Native Organizers Alliance, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Native American Rights Fund (NARF) opposed proceeding without meaningful Tribal consultation. They asked NARA to pause the relocation of permanent archival holdings and work directly with Tribal Nations and affected communities on solutions that keep the records accessible regionally.

NARA first posted notice in June that the two facilities "will be closing in the next few years," and in August published its reasons: underused storage space as federal recordkeeping shifts to electronic records, and aging infrastructure whose upgrades it called "fiscally unviable." Neither notice gives final closure dates.

According to NARA's published relocation plan, Bureau of Indian Affairs records in Record Group 75 at the San Francisco-area facility would move to Denver, while the corresponding Chicago holdings would move to Kansas City. NARA says the records will continue to be accessible to researchers after relocation.

NARA's own finding aids describe what Chicago holds. NARA lists the superintendent's diary from Michigan's Mount Pleasant Indian School, covering 1892 to 1934, at Chicago, alongside school files such as the White Earth Boarding School's letters sent and received and its 1901–1903 register of pupils. NARA notes that many records in the Mount Pleasant collection have yet to be digitized.

"Access to these records can be part of the healing process," NABS chief executive officer Nikki Santos said in the organizations' October 14 announcement. The letter also cites records of enrollment, allotment, individual Indian money accounts, correspondence and censuses, which it says document the federal government's relationships with Tribal Nations, Native families and Native children across generations. In the same announcement, NARF executive director John Echohawk said the records help Tribal Nations hold the federal government accountable for its trust and treaty obligations.

NARA's September notice, addressed to Tribal leaders, invited any Tribal Nation to virtual listening sessions on October 13 and 15. The agency has said it intends to lessen or mitigate any impact and to maintain access to all archival records in its legal custody, but its published Researcher Updates did not contain a direct response to the October 14 joint letter as of October 16.

Separately on October 14, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued in federal court to block the San Bruno closure, arguing in a state Justice Department release that the decision was made "without regard for those who rely on it" and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. Neither the lawsuit release nor the organizations' letter references the other.