US Department of Justice notes efforts, partnerships addressing MMIP crisis

MINNEAPOLIS — In conjunction with National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day on May 5, the U.S. Department of Justice recently highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in Indigenous communities.

According to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland described how the department is working to combat human trafficking, the fentanyl crisis and other pressing public safety challenges.

“There is still so much more to do in the face of persistently high levels of violence that tribal communities have endured for generations, and that women and girls, particularly, have endured,” he said in the release. “In carrying out our work, we seek to honor those who are still missing, those who were stolen from their communities, and their loved ones who are left with unimaginable pain ... This day challenges all of us at the justice department to double down on our efforts, and to be true partners with tribal communities as we seek to end this crisis.”

Last July, the department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the country to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people, the release said.

The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes and Southeast. Last year, Laura M. Provinzino was appointed to serve as the MMIP Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Great Lakes Region.

The MMIP Regional Outreach Program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indigenous communities, the release said. The program fulfills the justice department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP.

In March, the Departments of Justice and the Interior released their joint response to the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations on how to combat the missing or murdered Indigenous peoples and human trafficking crisis, the release said.

The NIAC response, announced by Attorney General Garland during a visit to the Crow Nation, recognizes that more must be done across the federal government to resolve this longstanding crisis and support healing from the generational traumas that Indigenous peoples have endured throughout the history of the United States.

“The FBI remains unwavering in our pledge to work with our law enforcement partners to address the violence that has disproportionately harmed Tribal communities and families,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We will continue to prioritize our support of victims and will steadfastly pursue investigations into the crime impacting American Indian and Alaska Native communities.”

As noted in the joint response to the NIAC, research suggests that certain public safety challenges faced by many American Indian and Alaska Native communities — including disproportionate violence against women, families and children; substance abuse; drug trafficking; and labor and sex trafficking — can influence the rates of missing people.

Fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, the release said. Drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceed the national rate.

To combat this, federal law enforcement components are ramping up efforts to forge stronger partnerships with federal and tribal law enforcement partners to address violent crime and the fentanyl crisis, which exposes already vulnerable communities to greater harm.

“(The Drug Enforcement Administration's) top priority is protecting all communities from deadly drugs, like fentanyl, and drug-related violent crime,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in the release. “We know that no community has been spared from these deadly threats and we are committed to keeping tribal communities safe.”

Over the past year, the department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses, the release said. These awards have also gone toward improving the handling of child abuse cases, combating domestic and sexual violence, supporting tribal youth programs, and strengthening victim services in tribal communities.

For additional information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to address the MMIP crisis, please visit the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons section of the Tribal Safety and Justice website.