Deb Haaland

I hope that we can all agree that this is unacceptable.

I would like to put those two on the screen.

But there are still many questions about this process that we need to dig into further to understand what was behind these monument reductions.

I will take that commitment as a true desire to right these wrongs.

Why did the Department redact these documents when sending them to Congress, when clearly there was no valid reason to redact them under FOIA?

I urge this Committee to move my BADGES Act, which will increase the effectiveness of Federal missing persons resources.

Collaboration between ICE and State and local law enforcement can destroy trust among an entire community.

This bill discontinues the 287(g) program that authorizes State and local law enforcement to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating, apprehending, and detaining undocumented people.

For instance, Savannah's Act and the BADGES for Native Communities Act would develop guidelines and best practices to enhance the reporting and record keeping of crimes against indigenous women.

I also urge this Committee to move my BADGES Act, which will increase the effectiveness of Federal missing persons resources and gives Tribes and States the funding to coordinate response efforts.

This bill will establish an advisory Committee to the Departments of Justice and Interior on violent crime.

Homicide continues to be the leading cause of death for Native women between ages 10-24 years old.

Sowing fear and distrust between communities and law enforcement makes everyone less safe.

This bill clarifies immigration enforcement is solely a function of the Federal Government, as it truly is.

Do you believe the FBI is making adequate effort to assist in coordinating, collecting data, and providing resources to Indian Country, for these Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women cases?

It is ironic that the FBI, when they first became an agency, one of the first big cases that they solved were the Osage murders in Oklahoma Indian Country.

Senator Udall, who has been a great lead on this issue in New Mexico, cited 'poor coordination, limited data, and insufficient resources' as barriers to solving these cases during that hearing.

BIA's Office of Justice Services (OJS) reports different data to both FBI and the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) crime databases--violent crimes resulting in death get sent over to the FBI, while missing persons data are sent to NIJ.

Has your agency done any work to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis in urban locations with high populations of Native Americans?

The Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety Act addresses the gaps in national MMIW data by requiring BIA direct-service officers and FBI agents with jurisdiction in Indian Country to report missing persons cases to the NamUs database.

Thank you. When you say that it is being rolled out to more tribes as we move forward, what is the application process like for tribes to participate in TAP each year?

The Violence Against Women Act was passed in the House in April of this year, and it has yet to see the light of day on the Senate side.

On some Native lands, Indian women are murdered at more than 10 times the national average.

Statistics show that 8 in 10 Indigenous women will be raped, stalked, or abused in the course of their lifetimes.

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women issue has been one of my top priorities this Congress.