US steps up response to missing, murdered Indigenous people

The U.S. Department of Justice is launching a program to respond to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons — an issue gaining attention south of the border after years of headlines in Canada.

Five U.S. assistant attorneys and five coordinators are mandated to assist U.S. law firms in addressing the issue. The staff will be based in 10 states in five regions across the country.

“The five AUSAs will have the same authorities as other AUSAs and will work with federal (Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and FBI), tribal, state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in investigating unsolved cases,” said a US official. right. That says a department spokesperson.

In August 2017, when the body of a missing and pregnant 22-year-old Native woman, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, was found wrapped in duct tape and plastic in the Red River, the North Dakota Native American community was shocked. It was the same river, though separated by an international border, where 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found dead in Winnipeg in 2014.

After pressure and advocacy in hopes of preventing similar tragedies, Savanna’s Act was signed in addition to a number of measures introduced by the U.S. government directing the Justice Department to review protocols related to missing or murdered Native Americans.

In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order to Improve Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples.

The order directs government departments at various levels to work together to make Native Americans feel safer, help them get justice and find solutions to the crisis.

Last July, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco directed U.S. attorneys and law enforcement officials “to update and develop new plans for advancing public safety in the Indian country.” The directive includes coordination with law enforcement and federal agencies, supporting victims and others affected in a “victim-centered and culturally appropriate manner,” as well as addressing active and unsolved cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous peoples.

This new Outreach Program for Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons is an effort to align with Monaco’s directive to dedicate new staff to the issue.

Natalie Bullion, executive director of MMIW USA, said she’s glad to hear about the new program and that someone is taking on the work. But she remains cautious.

“My expectations aren’t super high actually, and we’re very used to the fact that some of these things don’t really make a tangible difference,” she told the Star.

Bullion worries that Native Americans who are not federally recognized could fall through the cracks of the new outreach program.

“If someone is legally Native American, the jurisdiction over their case and the resources available in their case from law enforcement and other sources will be different than those who are not legally Native American, whether they are Native American or not.”

She wants more people to work to educate others about missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, and in a sense, the program does just that. But she also wants “new eyes” looking at old cases, and new lawyers looking at cases that have been botched by the criminal justice system.

Despite her criticism, Bullion said the program can still help. “The courts and criminal justice system in this country are the means by which we can get justice, so lawyers dedicated to this issue will certainly play a role in that.”

In Canada, the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released in 2019, which included 231 individual calls for justice.

“Gaining the national investigation and movement that has gained so much momentum to get to that point is what has built the movement,” Bullion said, adding that the term missing and murdered Indigenous women was coined by “female warriors” in the north.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: “This new program mobilizes Justice Department resources to combat the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous persons, which has destroyed the lives of victims, their families and entire tribal communities. “

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