**Biden Apologizes for Historic Policy of Forcibly Assimilating Indigenous Children**

In a significant address from Phoenix, President Joe Biden offered a heartfelt apology for a deeply troubling chapter in American history – a policy that, for over 150 years, forcefully separated Indigenous children from their families and integrated them into federally backed boarding schools aimed at assimilation.

"I formally apologize as President of the United States of America for what we did," Biden declared, stressing the necessity of this overdue acknowledgment.

This formal apology aligns with findings from an extensive investigation initiated by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who herself is a descendant of those affected by this policy. Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, delivered poignant remarks highlighting her family's painful experiences and the government's failure to erase Indigenous cultures and communities.

The investigation unveiled a disturbing legacy of trauma, recording the deaths of at least 973 Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children in these boarding schools. Spanning from 1819 to at least 1969, the report identified 417 such institutions across 37 states or then-territories. Further harrowing details revealed that many children endured physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, with at least 74 marked and unmarked burial sites found across 65 school locations.

"The federal Indian boarding school policy and the immense suffering it caused will forever remain a significant mark of shame on American history," Biden remarked.

This apology from Biden comes two years after Pope Francis extended a similar apology for abuses in Canadian boarding schools, which also forcibly assimilated over 150,000 native children.

Despite the president's sincere gesture, not all accepted his apology. Alex White Plume, a former president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who attended two such boarding schools, expressed his skepticism. "I don't really see any way where we could accept it, because it doesn't change anything," White Plume told NBC News.

While many welcomed Biden's words, dissent was also evident. During the president's remarks, a demonstrator holding a sign that read, "There are still babies in mass graves your apology means nothing," was escorted out, highlighting ongoing pain and demands for more substantial actions and reparations.