    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    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)

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    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 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.
    DONALD J. TRUMP