(JustPatriots.com)- According to the FBI, more than 170 Native Americans are missing in New Mexico and the Navajo Nation.
The list will be regularly updated as several federal agencies try to address the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous and Native people.
FBI Albuquerque’s SAC Raul Bujanda remarked in a press release that everyone missing matters. Many people have wondered if anyone is paying attention to the issue of missing Native Americans. He can guarantee that the FBI has been paying notice and is taking a critical step toward justice for these victims, their families, and communities.
Publicizing the faces and names of the missing and updating the list will promote openness and accountability, officials believe.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said this is a significant step among many, and this multi-agency endeavor is vital.
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety Secretary Jason R. Bowie said they’d get answers and justice for these women and families. He said many missing and murdered indigenous women and families have gone undetected for centuries. We’ll avoid similar tragedies in our state; everyone deserves safe communities.
About 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native missing individuals have been reported to the NCIC, and 2,700 murder and non-negligent homicide cases have been submitted to the FBI’s UCR Program.
Advocates argue these statistics don’t convey the issue depth since law enforcement agencies don’t keep comprehensive, accurate records. FBI agents said it took six months to merge and validate missing Native American databases in New Mexico.
According to activists, missing Indigenous person’s data are typically inadequate or obsolete.
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, murder, rape, and violent crime rates are greater among Native Americans and Alaska Natives (BIA). According to the CDC, homicide is the third most significant cause of death among Native American women residing on reservations.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launched the BIA’s Missing & Murdered Unit (MMU) in April 2021 to examine thousands of missing and murdered Native Americans.
The MMU will cooperate with Tribal investigators, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI to support law enforcement in the Indian nation and unearth new information in witness testimony, evidence, and suspects.
Haaland is also adopting the Not Invisible Act to reduce violent crime against American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs lists missing or murdered Indigenous persons to raise awareness.
