[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 90 (Thursday, May 9, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20535-20536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09761]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 90 / Thursday, May 9, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 20535]]


                Proclamation 9879 of May 3, 2019

                
Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska 
                Natives Awareness Day, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska 
                Natives Awareness Day, we draw attention to the 
                horrible acts of violence committed against American 
                Indian and Alaska Native people, particularly women and 
                children. Too many American Indians and Alaska Natives 
                are the victims of abuse, sexual exploitation, or 
                murder--or are missing from their communities. Some of 
                those missing may be victims of human trafficking. We 
                must work together as a Nation to correct these 
                injustices and ensure the safety of all Americans, 
                particularly our most vulnerable populations.

                American Indian and Alaska Native people face alarming 
                levels of violence. Data from the National Institute of 
                Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention indicate that more than 1.5 million American 
                Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced 
                violence, including sexual violence, in their 
                lifetimes. American Indian and Alaska Native children 
                attempt and commit suicide at rates far higher than 
                those in any other demographic in our Nation, and often 
                endure disproportionately high rates of endemic drug 
                abuse, violence, and crime.

                Ending the violence that disproportionately affects 
                American Indian and Alaska Native communities is 
                imperative. Under my Administration, Federal agencies 
                are working more comprehensively and more 
                collaboratively to address violent crime in Indian 
                country, to recover the American Indian and Alaska 
                Native women and children who have gone missing, and to 
                find justice for those who have been murdered. As a 
                result of these ongoing efforts, we are improving 
                public safety, we are expanding funding and training 
                opportunities for law enforcement in Indian country, 
                and we are better equipping them with tools like access 
                to criminal databases. We have also established 
                improved protocols based on our government-to-
                government relationships with the tribes, and have 
                become more transparent and accountable in our efforts.

                Currently, every United States Attorney's Office with 
                Indian country jurisdiction has developed sexual 
                assault response and multidisciplinary teams to combat 
                sexual assault and abuse of American Indian and Alaska 
                Native women and children. In addition, the Attorney 
                General has developed a working group dedicated to 
                addressing violent crime in Indian country. This 
                working group has made the development of law 
                enforcement strategies for Missing and Murdered 
                Indigenous People (MMIP) a priority, improving human 
                trafficking training and creating law enforcement 
                initiatives for United States Attorneys.

                To help address the significant challenges in 
                collecting data regarding missing and murdered American 
                Indian and Alaska Native people, the Department of the 
                Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the 
                Department of Justice (DOJ) partnered together to 
                capture tribal data through new data fields in the 
                National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. DOJ 
                has also expanded the Tribal Access Program (TAP) and 
                Amber Alert in Indian country to make law enforcement 
                more aware of missing persons and to enhance their 
                ability to be responsive to missing persons reports and 
                Sexual

[[Page 20536]]

                Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) 
                registrants in the area. TAP also enables tribal law 
                enforcement to have access to national law enforcement 
                databases and to immediately and directly enter missing 
                persons reports into them. In addition, BIA's Tribal 
                Justice Support Directorate funds the training of 
                tribal attorneys in prosecuting domestic violence and 
                partner abuse crimes as part of implementing the 
                Violence Against Women Act.

                In Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, DOJ allocated historic 
                amounts of funding to combat violent crime in Indian 
                country, including to the MMIP efforts of the Office on 
                Violence Against Women (OVW). DOJ set aside close to 
                $300 million from the Crime Victim Fund over two years 
                to assist victims of crime in Indian country. It also 
                expanded the Tribal Special Assistant United States 
                Attorney program, which is aimed at reducing violent 
                crime, including violence against women, in Indian 
                country and building important partnerships between 
                Federal and tribal agencies. In addition, DOJ funds the 
                National Indian Country Training Initiative (NICTI), 
                which continues to provide training at the National 
                Advocacy Center and in the field for Federal, State, 
                and tribal criminal justice and social service 
                professionals.

                My Administration will continue working to root out 
                injustice and protect each and every person in America. 
                On Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska 
                Natives Awareness Day, we pause to raise awareness of 
                unacceptable acts of violence that profoundly harm 
                American Indian and Alaska Native communities. As a 
                Nation, we honor the lives of all missing and murdered 
                American Indians and Alaska Natives, and we reaffirm 
                our commitment to ensuring that violence against these 
                vulnerable Americans shall not be overlooked or 
                tolerated.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2019, as 
                Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska 
                Natives Awareness Day. I call upon Americans and all 
                Federal, State, tribal, and local governments to 
                increase awareness of the crisis of missing and 
                murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives through 
                appropriate programs and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and forty-third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2019-09761
Filed 5-8-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P