Date and time: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON – The Departments of the Interior and Justice on Thursday convened a roundtable discussion with Native American representatives, advocates, media personnel, and survivors to discuss media coverage of the missing and murdered Native American crisis. We talked about how we could improve. MMIP) and human trafficking (HT).
This virtual roundtable was organized as part of the federal government’s response to the recommendations of the Invisible Law Commission. The Invisible Act Commission is a federal advisory committee established in November 2023 under the Invisible Act of 2019 to recommend strategies to combat violent crimes against Indian lands and American Indians. and Alaska Natives. During seven public hearings across the country and a two-day virtual national hearing to deliver the commission’s recommendations, survivors and families affected by the MMIP and HT crisis spoke out about the lack of media coverage and the They shared concerns that this could lead to the incident being ignored. Or it remains unresolved. In response, the European Commission recommended that the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice hold a roundtable as a step towards developing a set of best practices.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland gave video addresses.
“From its inception, the Biden-Harris administration has been committed to fulfilling its commitments to the Indian nation,” said Haaland, who authored the Invisibility Act while in Congress. “This roundtable is part of our commitment to act on one of the Invisible Law Commission’s recommendations, because a crisis that exists in silence is never resolved. Today we will tell the stories of our missing relatives. It’s a lot of steps to make sure we get the word out.”
“Public relations, news articles and social media can be critical to the discovery and investigation of missing and murdered Native Americans,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why, based on the recommendations of the Invisible Law Commission, we are developing best practices and guidelines to support law enforcement, families, advocates and journalists when members of Indigenous communities are reported missing. We are convening this roundtable to help strengthen the partnership that is essential to advancing our shared goal of ending this crisis.”
Brian Newland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, opened the roundtable discussion. And they live a fulfilling life in the tribal community. Security is a big part of that, and addressing the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis and human trafficking are at the forefront of our public safety work. ”
Principal Deputy Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, in his opening remarks at the roundtable, said “now more than ever, it is important” to work together to draw attention to the MMIP and HT crises. “The potential for instant, real-time alerts makes media, especially social media, a powerful tool for quickly disseminating information when emergencies occur. It promotes information sharing and cooperation and helps solve missing person cases.”
In August, Secretary Haaland and Attorney General Garland visited New Mexico to discuss the MMIP crisis and efforts to combat human trafficking with federal and tribal leaders. Under the leadership of Attorney General Garland and Secretary Haaland, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to address the high rates of violent crime in Indian Country. For more information about these initiatives, please visit the Home Office website.
Departments plan to publish best practices resulting from this discussion by the end of the year. To submit a recommendation, please email newsmedia@bia.gov by Friday, October 4th.
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