[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