05.05.23

Cantwell Asks Biden For More Federal Resources to Combat WA's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Crisis

WA has only two Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit officers for 142 open Indigenous missing persons cases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that she sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to prioritize federal funding to assist Tribes and organizations that work with Native American and Alaska Natives in the State of Washington in combatting the growing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Sen. Cantwell’s announcement came during a press conference held on the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) that included representatives from the Seattle Indian Health Board, tribal leaders, Indigenous community organizations, MMWIP advocates and loved ones of Indigenous persons who have gone missing.

“We need to fix this problem and we need more resources now,” said Sen. Cantwell. “We need to focus on solving cases, preventing Indigenous women and people from being murdered and going missing, and we need more help in our Indigenous communities. That is why in addition to pushing the Interior Secretary this past week at a budget hearing for more resources, today I'm sending a letter to the President of the United States, President Biden, asking for more federal resources here in the State of Washington.”

Sen. Cantwell’s letter specifically calls for President Biden to work to secure additional Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) agents for the State of Washington. As the letter notes, there are only two law enforcement agents located in Washington state dedicated to solving MMIWP cases.

According to the Washington State Patrol, there are at least 142 unsolved cases with an Indigenous victim as of May 1, 2023. The Seattle Indian Health Board’s Urban Indian Health Institute found that Seattle and Tacoma have some of the highest rates of missing and murdered Native women and girls in a report on 71 urban areas.

Annette Bryan, a Puyallup Tribe Councilmember, shared the story of her cousin, Anna Lee Chebetnoy, who went missing from the Puyallup Reservation at age 14. One year later, Bryan said, Chebetnoy's body was found on a logging road in King County: "Her killer has never been found. And I don't even know how hard they're looking, if they're looking at all," said Bryan. "I'm still hopeful that my auntie, before she passes, will get justice for my cousin."

"A lot of the work that gets done, I want to say, by the grassroots movements in MMIWP and the families who do this work for free and they need our help, they need assistance," said Anna Bean, Puyallup Tribe Councilmember and MMIWP Task Force Committee Member. "We all need to be a part of taking the water of this work so it's not as heavy on one person.”

Earlier this week, Sen. Cantwell questioned Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing: “I know we’ve started to make change to address this crisis, but we need to do more,” Sen. Cantwell said. “Would tribal members in Washington state be better served if we were able to have federal resources in state devoted to missing and murdered Indigenous people in these cold cases?”

In 2020, Sen. Cantwell’s Savanna’s Act was signed into law. The law helps federal, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies better respond to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people by improving coordination among all levels of law enforcement, increasing data collection and information sharing, and providing tribal governments with vital resources.

Sen. Cantwell has also helped secure public safety funding specifically for tribal communities. In the 2013 and 2022 reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act, Sen. Cantwell fought to include strong tribal policies including: allowing Tribes to continue to have jurisdiction over dating violence and domestic violence crimes and violations of tribal protection orders, restoring tribal jurisdiction over violent and dangerous crimes such as child and sexual abuse, sex trafficking and stalking, and providing Tribes with more resources to improve and build public safety programs within their communities.

In 2019, Sen. Cantwell co-sponsored the Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment (SURVIVE) Act to provide a substantial increase in resources for tribal crime victim assistance programs. 

Video footage of today’s press conference is available HERE; audio HERE; and a transcript HERE. Photos are available HERE.

The letter is linked HERE, the full text is available below. 

 

Dear President Biden:

I write to request that you prioritize the delivery of additional federal resources for indigenous communities in the State of Washington to combat the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) epidemic. According to a report issued by the Washington State Patrol on May 1, 2023, there are currently 142 cases of missing indigenous people with 62 of those cases being juveniles. More federal resources are required and needed to solve active and cold cases and prevent MMIWP cases from occurring in Washington state.

The MMIWP crisis impacts communities throughout the country. However, it is clear indigenous people throughout the State of Washington experience elevated rates of violence. Washington state communities endure some of the highest numbers of missing and murdered cases in the country. According to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (MMIWG) report issued by the Urban Indian Health Institute in 2018, the State of Washington has the second highest number of MMIWG cases in the country. In addition, Washington is the only state with two major cities, Seattle and Tacoma, in the top ten list of cities with the most MMIWG cases. This data is just a glimpse of the crisis. The Urban Indian Health Institute could not report on all MMIWP cases, and examining this epidemic has suffered from significant under reporting and data misclassification. It is clear the MMIWP crisis in the State of Washington is worse than we can accurately calculate.

The Department of Interior established a Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU) under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services to work on solving MMIWP cases. The MMU is tasked with investigating unsolved missing and murdered cases throughout Indian Country and, upon request by a Tribe, can provide direct assistance and investigative services. While the unit has been a positive first step, there are only two law enforcement agents located in Washington state dedicated to solving MMIWP cases. This is inadequate federal law enforcement personnel to coordinate with Tribes, local law enforcement, and Washington state on solving the 142 open MMIWP cases. In order to bolster federal law enforcement focused on these cases in the State of Washington, I ask that the Administration work with me to secure additional MMU agents in the state. It is critical that we begin to solve MMIWP cases now.

Indigenous people disproportionately experience violence throughout their lives. Research from the National Justice Institute found that more than 4 in 5, or over 84 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. This study also found that indigenous men have high victimization rates, with more than 81 percent, or 1.4 million, American Indian and Alaska Native men having experienced violence in their lifetime. There is an urgent need for additional, culturally appropriate resources dedicated to supporting relatives of victims, families, and children that have or are currently experiencing violence. I would like to work with you to explore solutions to address this resource gap. This includes establishing Indian Child Resources and Family Service Centers, wellness to healing courts, and supporting existing programs that focus on incorporating indigenous culture to heal indigenous people and families that have and are still being impacted by violence and the MMIWP crisis. We need these programs in Washington state and we need to better support the programs that are already working on the ground to help solve MMIWP cases, support MMIWP relatives and provide important resources to vulnerable indigenous people in times of need.

Finally, I believe MMIWP cases can be prevented through improving public safety in Indian Country. I have heard from Tribes located in different locations throughout Washington state, including those located in urban centers and rural areas, that there are not enough Tribal law enforcement officers. In one case, there are two Tribal law enforcement officers to cover more than one million acres of land. I request to work with you and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on pursuing ways to improve Tribal law enforcement recruitment and retention.

It is clear we are only beginning to understand the scale of the MMIWP crisis. We need to listen to indigenous people and communities on how the federal government can best combat this epidemic.

I thank you for your attention to this important issue and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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