The U.S. Justice Department is launching a program to respond to the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis — an issue that’s been getting attention south of the border, following years of headlines in Canada.Five assistant U.S. attorneys and five co-ordinators will be given the mandate to support United States attorneys’ offices in addressing the issue. The personnel will be situated in 10 states covering five regions across the country.“The five AUSAs will have the same authorities as other AUSAs and will partner with federal (Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and FBI), tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to assist in investigating unresolved cases,” a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson said.In August 2017, when the body of a missing and pregnant 22-year-old Indigenous woman, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, was found in duct tape and plastic in the Red River, the Native American community of North Dakota was shaken. It was the same river, though divided by an international border, where 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found dead in Winnipeg in 2014.After pressure and advocacy with the hope of preventing similar tragedies, Savanna’s Act was signed, among a number of measures introduced by the U.S. government, directing the Department of Justice to review protocols regarding missing or murdered Native Americans.In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. The order instructs varying levels of government departments to collaborate on making Native Americans feel safer, assist in getting them justice, and to find solutions to the crisis.Last July, deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco directed U.S. attorneys and law enforcement “to update and develop new plans for promoting public safety in Indian country.” The directive includes co-ordinating with law enforcement officers and federal agencies, supporting victims and others impacted in a “victim-centred and culturally appropriate manner,” as well as addressing active and unresolved cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people.This new Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Outreach Program is an attempt to align with Monaco’s directive to dedicate new personnel to the issue.Natalie Bullion, executive director of MMIW USA, said she’s pleased to hear of the new program and that someone is taking on the work. But she remains cautious.“My expectations are not actually super-high, and we are very used to some of this stuff not actually making a tangible difference,” she told the Star.Bullion worries Native Americans who are not federally recognized may 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 are going to be different from those who are not legally Native American, regardless of whether they are Indigenous or not.”She wants to see more people working to educate others on missing and murdered Indigenous people, and in a way the program is doing just that. But she also wants “new eyes” looking over old cases, and new attorneys looking at cases failed by the criminal justice system.Despite her criticism, Bullion said the program can still help. “The courts and criminal justice system in this nation are the means by which we will be able to get justice, so attorneys dedicated to this issue certainly will 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 and delivered 231 individual calls for justice.“Obtaining the national inquiry and the movement that gained so much momentum to get to that point is what built the movement,” Bullion said, adding that the term Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was coined by “women warriors” in the north.U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that “This new program mobilizes the Justice Department’s resources to combat the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, which has shattered the lives of victims, their families, and entire Tribal communities.”Jamin Mike is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: jmike@thestar.ca
The U.S. Justice Department is launching a program to respond to the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis — an issue that’s been getting attention south of the border, following years of headlines in Canada.
Five assistant U.S. attorneys and five co-ordinators will be given the mandate to support United States attorneys’ offices in addressing the issue. The personnel will be situated in 10 states covering five regions across the country.
“The five AUSAs will have the same authorities as other AUSAs and will partner with federal (Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and FBI), tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to assist in investigating unresolved cases,” a U.S. Justice Department spokesperson said.
In August 2017, when the body of a missing and pregnant 22-year-old Indigenous woman, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, was found in duct tape and plastic in the Red River, the Native American community of North Dakota was shaken. It was the same river, though divided by an international border, where 15-year-old Tina Fontaine was found dead in Winnipeg in 2014.
After pressure and advocacy with the hope of preventing similar tragedies, Savanna’s Act was signed, among a number of measures introduced by the U.S. government, directing the Department of Justice to review protocols regarding missing or murdered Native Americans.
In November 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Executive Order on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People.
The order instructs varying levels of government departments to collaborate on making Native Americans feel safer, assist in getting them justice, and to find solutions to the crisis.
Last July, deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco directed U.S. attorneys and law enforcement “to update and develop new plans for promoting public safety in Indian country.” The directive includes co-ordinating with law enforcement officers and federal agencies, supporting victims and others impacted in a “victim-centred and culturally appropriate manner,” as well as addressing active and unresolved cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people.
This new Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Outreach Program is an attempt to align with Monaco’s directive to dedicate new personnel to the issue.
Natalie Bullion, executive director of MMIW USA, said she’s pleased to hear of the new program and that someone is taking on the work. But she remains cautious.
“My expectations are not actually super-high, and we are very used to some of this stuff not actually making a tangible difference,” she told the Star.
Bullion worries Native Americans who are not federally recognized may 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 are going to be different from those who are not legally Native American, regardless of whether they are Indigenous or not.”
She wants to see more people working to educate others on missing and murdered Indigenous people, and in a way the program is doing just that. But she also wants “new eyes” looking over old cases, and new attorneys looking at cases failed by the criminal justice system.
Despite her criticism, Bullion said the program can still help. “The courts and criminal justice system in this nation are the means by which we will be able to get justice, so attorneys dedicated to this issue certainly will 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 and delivered 231 individual calls for justice.
“Obtaining the national inquiry and the movement that gained so much momentum to get to that point is what built the movement,” Bullion said, adding that the term Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was coined by “women warriors” in the north.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that “This new program mobilizes the Justice Department’s resources to combat the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, which has shattered the lives of victims, their families, and entire Tribal communities.”
Jamin Mike is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: jmike@thestar.ca
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