91暗网

Among Native American communities, people go missing and experience violence at disproportionately high rates. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) - the first Native cabinet secretary - has been working to implement the Not Invisible Act, which she helped pass as a Congresswoman in 2019. A commission traveled round the country hearing testimony from survivors, advocates, law enforcement and tribal leaders. It released a list of recommendations last November, and now the Departments of Justice and Interior have responded.

Lawmakers and advocates came together over the weekend to celebrate Indigenous Women鈥檚 Day at the Roundhouse.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that Indian Affairs cabinet secretary James Mountain is leaving his post less than a year into the job to take on a new role as a policy advisor.

Families gathered in Albuquerque on Sunday for the second annual Missing in New Mexico Day. Nearly 200 Native Americans are missing from the state and the Navajo Nation, according to an FBI list last updated in November. The event provides face-to-face conversations with law enforcement and information about resources like search and rescue teams.

Native people are at disproportionate risk of experiencing violence, being murdered or going missing. In 2020, Congress passed a law called the Not Invisible Act to try to stop this. It was written by Deb Haaland, then a representative and now the first Indigenous secretary of the Interior Department. She promised the government would listen to Native people. A federal commission is now listening to families searching for lost loved ones.

The federal commission compiling a report about missing and murdered Indigenous peoples鈥� is traveling to Indigenous communities to hear their stories. The next stops are Albuquerque and Billings.

Last year, President Joe Biden proclaimed May 5th as Missing or Murdered Indigenous Person鈥檚 Awareness Day as a way to bring attention to the ongoing crisis and help families find their lost loved ones. Recent hearings by a federal commission have begun around the country, with one scheduled for New Mexico in June.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced earlier this month the appointment of the former governor of Pueblo de San Ildefonso James R. Mountain to lead the state鈥檚 Department of Indian Affairs. As he awaits confirmation by the state Senate in the remaining weeks of the legislative session, New Mexico In Depth鈥檚 Bella Davis reports Indigenous women leaders are fighting his nomination.

Saturday October 22, marks the first 鈥淢issing In New Mexico Day鈥� created by the legislature to bring families of missing Indigenous persons together with law enforcement agencies to offer services and raise awareness. The event will take place at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center hosted by the Department of Public Safety. 91暗网 has more on how this day can help impact families with missing loved ones.