The Trump Administration is establishing the first cold case task force to investigate missing and murdered American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Seven offices are being established to handle Indian Country cold cases, with the first in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Indian Life reported:
BLOOMINGTON, Minn.-In late July, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney established the first of seven offices dedicated to solving cold cases involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The first office is located in Bloomington, Minn.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Crime Information Center, there are more than 1,400 unresolved American Indian and Alaska Native missing person cases in the U.S. Of that, 136 cases are in Minnesota.
To address this crisis, President Trump signed Executive Order 13898 on November 26, 2019.
"President Trump created a task force to support Tribal communities, reduce the staggering number of violent crimes committed against American Indians and Alaska Natives and close out hundreds of cold cases," said Secretary Bernhardt. "The Trump Administration is committed to justice and working alongside these Tribal communities to restore peace and prosperity."
"While visiting the great state of Minnesota with Secretary Bernhardt, we are advancing two top priorities for the Administration: The Pledge to America's Workers and supporting American Indian and Alaska Native communities," said Advisor to the President Trump. "We are furthering President Trump's commitment to forgotten men and women across our country and the Administration's efforts to ensure that all Americans can live with dignity and the promise of a brighter future."
President Trump's executive order established the Operation Lady Justice Task Force, a multi-agency effort co-chaired by Secretary Bernhardt and U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr. Its purpose is to enhance the operation of the criminal justice system and address the staggering number of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives in Tribal communities.
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