Operation Lady Justice: Federal Government Resources on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP), Part 1—Congressional Publications, Executive Orders, Proclamations, and Public Laws, and Task Forces and Initiatives, 2015–2022

Abstract

Sadly, the victimization of Native Americans is not new. At a House hearing in 2019, Tamra “Tami” Nagle and Sarah Deer testified on the historical mistreatment of Native people, which has included abduction, assault, and murder. Both spoke of their hope that recent attention on the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons (MMIP) would bring needed change.

The “recent attention” they mentioned began in the US government in 2015. While not focused on MMIP, a Senate hearing addressed the needs of victims of crime in Indian country. This hearing highlighted the high rates of violent crime victimization, inadequacies of current criminal justice systems, and difficulties faced by Native Americans.