Justice News

Justice Department Strengthens Efforts, Builds Partnerships to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons

Fri, 03 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department joins its partners across the federal government, as well as people throughout American Indian and Alaska Native communities, in recognizing May 5 as National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day.

Readout of Justice Department Participation in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and other senior Justice Department officials today participated in the 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The summit reiterated the importance of Nation-to-Nation relationships and provided an opportunity for members of the administration to discuss key issues that the Tribal Nations face.

Not Invisible Act Commission Transmits Recommendations to Federal Government to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples and Human Trafficking

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC), a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee composed of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors, today transmitted its congressionally mandated recommendations to the Justice Department, Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Congress. Federal responses to the Commission’s recommendations are due within 90 days.

Readout of Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim’s Address to Tribal Summit

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Office of Environmental Justice and Office of Tribal Justice convened a Federal/Tribal Regional Summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this week. The event was hosted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Summit participants also included representatives from the FBI, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Tribal nations representatives from California, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Readout of Department of Justice Federal/Tribal Regional Summit in the Twin Cities in Minnesota

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Office of Environmental Justice and Office of Tribal Justice helped convene a Federal/Tribal Regional Summit in Minnesota’s Twin Cities on Sept. 26 and 27; the event was hosted by the Regional Solicitor’s office of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Summit participants also included Justice Department personnel from the Community Relations Service and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys as well as Tribal nations representatives from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa and South Dakota.

Readout from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Meeting with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta traveled to Minnesota today and met with Tribal leaders and members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The trip focused on areas – public safety, justice administration, reentry and victims’ services – where the Justice Department provides substantial grant funding to support Tribal self-governance. Associate Attorney General Gupta held government-to-government meetings with the Tribe’s leadership, heard about the Tribe’s work to respond to challenges and reinforced the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Indian Country. She was joined throughout the trip by Director Tracy Toulou of the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ).

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco And Secretary Deb Haaland Meet With Not Invisible Act Commission

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 12:00:00 +0000

This week, as part of the continued work by the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior to implement the Not Invisible Act and combat the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Secretary Deb Haaland hosted the first in-person plenary session of the Not Invisible Act Commission at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. The two-day meeting follows a series of online sessions since the establishment of the Commission last year.

Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco’s Trip to Oklahoma

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa O. Monaco visited Oklahoma to highlight the Justice Department’s work to increase public safety and reduce violent crime.

FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs Sign Agreement to Improve Law Enforcement in Indian Country

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000

During remarks at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that the FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) signed an agreement to establish guidelines to provide for the effective and efficient administration of criminal investigations in Indian Country. This is the first update since the early 1990s to a memorandum of understanding between the agencies.

Sixteen Tribes Selected for Participation in Program Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice has selected an additional 16 federally recognized Tribes to participate in the continued expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides Tribal governments with means to access, enter and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Directs U.S. Attorneys and Law Enforcement Agencies to Prioritize Violent Crime in Indian Country

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Today, during remarks at the Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced a directive to all U.S. Attorneys and law enforcement component heads addressing public safety in Indian country, including violence directed at indigenous women, youth and children.

Justice Department Opens Application Period for Program to Enhance Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice is pleased to announce the opening of the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information, which provides federally recognized Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes.

Readout of the Tribal Nations Leadership Council Meeting

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

During a two-day conference this week, the Tribal Nations Leadership Council (TNLC) met virtually with senior Justice Department officials, covering a range of issues, challenges and opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Delivers Remarks for National Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day

Thu, 05 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

I am pleased to join you for this important event, on a day the President has dedicated to highlighting the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous persons. This is an opportunity to reflect on the violence endured by far too many Native persons for far too long. It is also a chance to reaffirm our commitment to bringing justice and answers to grieving communities.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the National Congress of American Indians Winter Conference

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Good afternoon. Thank you, Secretary Lewis for that kind introduction. And thank you, President Sharp and Mr. Desiderio for inviting me to join you today and for your leadership.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Good afternoon. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to join the first Tribal Nations Summit in five years.

Justice Department Awards Nearly $104 Million to Help Crime Victims in Indian Country

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), has awarded nearly $104 million to serve victims in tribal communities, of which nearly $101 million was awarded through the Crime Victims Fund Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside.

Twelve Tribes Selected for Participation in Program Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice has selected an additional 12 federally recognized Tribes to participate in the expansion of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP), a program that provides tribal governments with means to access, enter and exchange data with national crime information systems, including those maintained by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and the states.

Justice Department Opens Application Period for Program to Enhance Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000

The Department of Justice is pleased to announce the opening of the application period for federally recognized Tribes to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information, which provides federally recognized Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes.

Department of Justice Enables Direct Tribal Access to FBI National Sex Offender Registry

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 12:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Department of Justice announced today a new tool giving tribal governments the ability to directly input data and gain access to the FBI’s National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) using the Tribe and Territory Sex Offender Registry System (TTSORS). The system connection will be available to all tribal governments already participating in the Tribal Access Program (TAP), which allows information sharing between tribal and federal government criminal information systems.

Director Tracy Toulou of the Office of Tribal Justice Delivers Statement Before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 12:00:00 +0000

Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss S. 227, Savanna’s Act; S. 288, Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act; S. 290, Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act; S. 982, Not Invisible Act of 2019; and S. 1853, Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, which address a number of long-standing threats to public safety throughout Tribal communities. We have worked with the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs staff on numerous occasions in the development of these bills. These discussions have been productive and substantive; we would like to express our appreciation for your efforts to address difficult and sometimes complex issues collaboratively. Thank you for that outreach, which we hope will continue as these bills progress and new legislation is developed.

Justice Department Announces Funding Opportunities to Support Public Safety in Indian Country

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

“Public safety professionals serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities frequently find themselves under-resourced and over-extended,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio. “This funding will give tribal officials the tools they need to fight violent crime, protect their citizens, serve victims, and deliver justice.”

Department of Justice Releases Annual Report to Congress on Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Honors National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

“There is no place in our society for domestic violence, and holding perpetrators accountable and providing services to victims is a critical part of the Department’s response,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “During this National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I encourage law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and other criminal justice professionals to speak out about domestic violence and redouble efforts to bring perpetrators to justice. I am especially pleased to announce new funding to support four new Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys, whose collaboration across the tribal and federal jurisdictional landscape is a model for effective prosecution of violence against women.”

Department of Justice and Department of Interior Team Up for Major Expansion of Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:00:00 +0000

“For far too long, a lack of access to federal criminal databases has hurt tribal law enforcement—preventing them from doing their jobs and keeping their communities safe,” said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. “With the Tribal Access Program, participating tribes will be able to protect victims of domestic violence, register sex offenders, keep guns out of dangerous hands, and help locate missing people. This milestone demonstrates our deep commitment to strengthening public safety in Indian country.”