The Not Invisible Act Commission disclosed its recommendations for addressing the issues of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples and human trafficking on Nov. 1, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The Commission was born out of the Not Invisible Act on Oct. 10, 2020. Secretary Deb Haaland led these efforts during her tenure in Congress, as per information from the DOI's website on the Not Invisible Act Commission.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland acknowledged the work done by the commission members over two years: "I am so grateful to the members of the Not Invisible Act Commission for the time and effort they have given to this work and this report over the past two years. Indian Country will be safer, and lives will be saved, because of this Commission’s work," said Haaland. She further stressed that everyone deserves to feel safe in their community while recognizing that crimes against Indigenous peoples have often been underfunded and ignored due to deep-rooted intergenerational trauma since colonization.
Notably, there were several recurring themes from seven field hearings conducted by the commission while developing recommendations. These include consistent funding for tribes to tackle relevant issues; accountability for law enforcement; medical examiners; coroners and funeral homes; return of jurisdiction to sovereigns; communication, data, and coordination improvements; support for victims and their families; aiding vulnerable individuals among other measures suggested by Not Invisible Act Commission's report. The commission urged federal government intervention addressing missing, murdered, trafficked AI/AN people crisis urging them "to declare a Decade of Action and Healing." They identified current funding for criminal justice as wholly inadequate, attributing crises partly due to underfunding tribal programs.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland also commented about these recommendations: “These recommendations will play an important role in our shared work to address the violence Tribal communities face," said Garland. He praised commissioners for addressing urgent and crucial tasks with urgency and thoughtfulness, vowing commitment from the Justice Department to work alongside the Department of Interior, Congress, state, local, and Tribal partners to address the Commission’s recommendations and respond to public safety challenges facing American Indians and Alaska Natives.
