COLUMN: More Work to Be Done to Address MMIW Crisis

Our Native communities are making it clear; they will no longer suffer in silence. Just last week, community members gathered in Toppenish for a vigil to remember and honor the missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) of our region and across the country. Together, we are working to enact new laws to address the devastatingly disproportionate violence and murder rates among our Native American friends and neighbors.

I have worked with a strong bipartisan coalition in the House of Representatives to pass and send two important bills to the President's desk to be signed into law, Savanna's Act and the Not Invisible Act. We secured a long-awaited legislative victory when President Trump signed them into law in October.

These bills aim to increase collaboration between law enforcement agencies and tribal communities to more effectively investigate and solve cases of missing and murdered indigenous women. This is an effort that has been ongoing for decades, and I am very proud of the progress we have made.

While I am hopeful these new laws will help improve the staggering statistics on and around tribal reservations across the country, there are hundreds of families and loved ones that have been waiting far too long for answers on cases that have since gone "cold."

As part of Operation Lady Justice, the interagency task force established by President Trump to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans and Alaska Natives, the federal government has established Cold Case Task Force Offices throughout the United States. These offices – staffed by the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior, and special agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs – aim to delve into past cases of MMIW and violent crimes on and around tribal lands.

It has become clear that this crisis affects tribes and states across the country, and seven Cold Case offices have already been established throughout the United States – but not in Washington. We know now that Washington state has the second highest number of unsolved MMIW cases in the country, with 32 of these cases in Yakima County – yet the closest of these offices is currently located in Billings, Montana.

Last year, I urged the Trump Administration to establish a Cold Case Task Force Office in Yakima, and I continue to advocate for this critical office with the Biden Administration.

Yakima County has proven to be the epicenter of this crisis – as well as a catalyst for solutions. Establishing a Cold Case Task Force Office here in Central Washington will not only signal to our regional tribes and local communities that addressing this crisis is a priority, but it will also demonstrate a recognition of their work to bring this issue to the national stage.

The work done by the Trump Administration to address this crisis will be a long-lasting legacy, and we must continue to make progress under President Biden. It is my hope that the Biden Administration will continue Operation Lady Justice and expand their Cold Case Task Force.

During the Toppenish vigil, many attendees carried signs and photographs of missing or murdered loved ones. It is a staggering reminder that there is still more work to be done. No family who suffers the loss of a loved one deserves to be left without answers, just as no community deserves to live in fear of unsolved violence. I will continue working to end this crisis and deliver justice to the families and loved ones of these missing and murdered indigenous women.