The New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Task Force heard emotional testimonies as part of its ongoing efforts to address the MMIP crisis. Family members and others attending the group’s quarterly meeting recounted how Indigenous people have been impacted by human trafficking and the disproportionately high number of missing girls and women. Birga Alden, a task force member and chief communication officer at the nonprofit New Mexico Dream Center, emphasized the importance of hearing Indigenous voices and taking action. The task force, which collaborates with the New Mexico Department of Justice, is using its meetings to raise awareness of the MMIP crisis and to work toward updating a 2022 state response plan. That plan, released by the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, outlines strategies to improve data collection and support for survivors and families.
Tribal courts could soon have easier access to electronic evidence such as emails and social media messages in criminal cases—a move that would be beneficial, among other things, in Internet crimes against children investigations. U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Mike Rounds of South Dakota introduced the bipartisan Tribal Access to Electronic Evidence Act as a way to give Tribal courts equitable access and better equip them to deliver justice for victims. “We know that criminals are using online tools to traffic drugs and commit other crimes in Indian Country,” Cortez Masto said. “What we also know is that Tribal courts struggle to get electronic evidence because tech companies won’t honor those Tribal warrants.” Rounds added that it’s important that Tribal law enforcement is able to do its job “without the federal government getting in the way.”