Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples

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“The Missing and Murdered Indigenous peoples crisis is centuries in the making and will take a focused effort and time to unravel the many threads that contribute to the alarming rates of these cases. But I believe we are at an inflection point. We have a President and a government that is prioritizing this. And we can’t turn back."

—Secretary Deb Haaland

At the Department of the Interior, we believe that everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, but American Indian and Alaska Native people are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing violence, murder, or going missing. For too long, the crisis has been overlooked and underfunded. 

Secretary Deb Haaland led the effort to pass the Not Invisible Act and co-led the passage of Savanna’s Act during her time in Congress. Together, these proposals take steps to address the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples epidemic by identifying gaps in information sharing and data collection and empowering Interior to draw on the experience and expertise of those on the frontlines of this crisis.

Under Secretary Haaland’s leadership, Interior is committed to working with Tribal governments, law enforcement agencies, survivors, families of the missing, and all communities impacted to coordinate interagency collaboration to address this crisis.

Within the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration, Secretary Haaland created a new Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) to pursue justice for missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The unit is providing leadership and direction for cross-departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

We are putting the full weight of the federal government into investigating these cases and marshalling law enforcement resources across federal agencies and throughout Indian country. We have also expanded collaborative efforts with other agencies, such as working to enhance the DOJ’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and developing strategic partnerships with additional stakeholders such as the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Units, the FBI Forensic Laboratory, the U.S. Marshals Missing Child Unit, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

Together with the Department of Justice, the Interior Department is implementing the Not Invisible Act, championed by Secretary Haaland during her time in Congress. The Not Invisible Act Commission included federal, state and Tribal law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors. It developed recommendations on actions the federal government can take to help combat violent crime against Native American and Alaska Native people and on Tribal lands, and to address the epidemic of missing persons, murder and trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples, as specified under the law.   

We are committed to providing the leadership needed to hold perpetrators accountable, keep American Indian and Alaska Native communities safe, and provide closure for families. 

Resources:

• Missing and Murdered Unit Press Release 
• Not Invisible Act of 2019 
• Victim Assistance