    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 10026 of May 5, 2020
    Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day,
    2020
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation
    The American Indian and Alaska Native people have endured generations of
    injustice. They experience domestic violence, homicide, sexual assault,
    and abuse far more frequently than other groups. These horrific acts,
    committed predominantly against women and girls, are egregious and
    unconscionable. During Missing and Murdered American Indians

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    and Alaska
    Natives Awareness Day, we reaffirm our commitment to ending the
    disturbing violence against these Americans and to honoring those whose
    lives have been shattered and lost.
    Resiliency, collaboration, and resourcefulness are all necessary to
    eradicate the heartbreaking incidents of missing persons and fatal
    violence experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native communities
    across our country. My Administration stands squarely behind the tribal
    governments that are leading the efforts to address this pattern of
    violence so that their people can live in peace and thrive. The Yakama
    Nation in southern Washington is using the State's major violent crime
    database to track the disappearance of tribal members. On the Navajo
    Reservation, the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives Work Group
    is working to end sex trafficking, child abductions, and other
    challenges within the largest tribal jurisdiction in the Nation. In
    Montana, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are engaged with
    State officials to prioritize cases of missing and murdered tribal
    citizens. Beyond these and other efforts, tribal communities are
    leveraging rich cultural traditions of healing ceremonies and spiritual
    practices to offer refuge, compassion, and comfort to individuals and
    families in crisis.
    Under my Administration, tribal governments are not alone in fighting
    the epidemic of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native
    people. In October of 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) awarded more
    than $270 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of
    crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in
    American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The DOJ's Missing and
    Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative is placing coordinators in 11
    United States Attorneys' offices to develop comprehensive law
    enforcement responses to missing persons cases. These responses also
    include the use of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's advanced
    capabilities, enhanced data collection, and analysis to support local
    efforts when required.
    The Department of the Interior (DOI) is also taking action to address
    the critical concerns of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
    DOI's Bureau of Indian Affairs has launched a series of ``Reclaiming Our
    Native Communities''; roundtables focused on domestic violence
    prevention of missing or murdered American Indian and Alaska Native
    women, children, and men. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice
    Services (BIA-OJS) is equipping officers to handle long-standing cold
    cases and child abduction investigations, including positioning Special
    Agents on cold-case task forces in strategic locations throughout the
    country. BIA-OJS has partnered with the National Missing and
    Unidentified Persons System to aid in identifying missing persons cases
    involving Native Americans.
    Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made
    the health and safety of American Indian and Alaska Native communities a
    priority. HHS is developing a comprehensive, whole-person approach for
    strengthening these vulnerable populations through prevention, health,
    and education activities. The Administration for Children and Families
    (ACF) partners with tribes and tribal organizations to strengthen
    responses to Native American victims of domestic violence. ACF will soon
    disburse $22 million to increase the public health response and expand
    shelter and supportive services to victims of family violence, domestic
    violence, and dating abuse in tribal communities.

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    To help bolster these efforts to address this terrible crisis, last
    November, I was proud to sign an Executive Order establishing Operation
    Lady Justice. This interagency task force is developing an aggressive
    government-wide strategy for ending the cycle of violence and providing
    grants to improve public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native
    communities. The task force is consulting with tribal leaders to develop
    and strengthen investigative protocols to resolve new and unsolved
    cases, improve information and data sharing, establish best practices
    for communicating with families throughout an investigation, and raise
    public awareness through outreach to affected communities.
    Tragically, violence is prevalent in tribal communities, but we are
    determined to reverse this unacceptable trend. Through partnerships
    across Federal, State, and tribal governments, we are aggressively
    working to ensure that members of tribal communities can live lives free
    from fear of violence. We will not waver in our mission to bring
    healing, justice, hope, and restoration to our American Indian and
    Alaska Native communities.
    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, 2020, as
    Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day.
    I call upon all 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 fifth day of May,
    in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fourth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP