Justice Department, United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota Strengthen Efforts and Build Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons

WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota joins the broader Justice Department, its partners across the federal government, and people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.

    In recognition of MMIP Awareness Day, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted ongoing efforts to tackle the MMIP and human trafficking crises in American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and other pressing public safety challenges, like the fentanyl crisis, in Tribal communities.

    “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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “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. Tribal communities deserve safety, and they deserve justice. 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.”

    Attorney General Garland’s remarks recognizing Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day can be viewed here.

    “The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota eagerly embraces its role in preventing and responding to MMIP cases,” Schneider said. “As we continue to work with our partners to carry out Savanna’s Act and address this crisis, we know that one missing person case is too many. Those who are missing from their communities and their families are top of mind on MMIP Awareness Day and every day as we work together to increase public safety in Indian country.”

Justice Department Prioritization of MMIP Cases

    Last July, the Justice Department announced the creation of the Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places 10 attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. The five regions include the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Great Lakes, and Southeast Regions. 

    The MMIP regional program prioritizes MMIP cases consistent with the Deputy Attorney General’s July 2022 directive to U.S. Attorneys’ offices promoting public safety in Indian country. The program fulfills the Justice Department’s promise to dedicate new personnel to MMIP consistent with Executive Order 14053, Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People, and the Department’s Federal Law Enforcement Strategy to Prevent and respond to Violence Against American Indians and Alaska Natives, Including to Address Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons issued in July 2022. 

    In the District of North Dakota, the United States Attorney’s Office is planning its third annual Savanna’s Act meetings with state, local, and tribal officials to reinforce partnerships in responses to recently reported missing and murdered indigenous persons. These meetings will occur in June on each of the four major reservations in North Dakota.

    As part of the partnerships set up at previous Savanna’s Act meetings, the office’s Law Enforcement Coordinator has worked closely with tribal, state and local law enforcement to request resources such as air support from the United States Air Force and other air, maritime and land-based resources to aid and assist in searches for missing persons. In 2023, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota provided resource assistance in 46 missing person cases, 45 of which were resolved.

    The office has also partnered on efforts with its regional MMIP coordinator, Assistant United States Attorney Troy Morley of the District of South Dakota. Additional outreach on the development of Tribal Community Response Plans is anticipated in the coming months.

Not Invisible Act Commission Response

    The Department’s work to respond to the MMIP crisis is a whole-of-department effort. 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 (MMIP) and human trafficking crisis. 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. 

Addressing Violent Crime and the Fentanyl Crisis in Indian Country

    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 AI/AN persons.

    Further, fentanyl poisoning and overdose deaths are the leading cause of opioid deaths throughout the United States, including Indian county, where drug-related overdose death rates for Native Americans exceeds the national rate.

Therefore, 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. In February, for instance, a Detroit, Michigan native was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for his leadership role in a drug trafficking organization targeting the Fort Berthold and Spirit Lake reservations in North Dakota. Combating organized criminal groups who traffic dangerous drugs onto North Dakota’s reservations continues to be a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota.

Accessing Department of Justice Resources

    Over the past year, the Department awarded $268 million in grants to help enhance Tribal justice systems and strengthen law enforcement responses. 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.

    Click here for more information about reporting or identifying missing persons.

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