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Native American Views Mixed on Trump Task Force for Missing, Murdered

Cecily Hilleary

   WASHINGTON - Native Americans are taking a wait-and-see approach to a
   new White House task force charged with boosting the physical safety of
   indigenous people at a time when American Indian and Alaska Native
   women face elevated risks of going missing or being murdered.

   President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week establishing
   Operation Lady Justice, a working party of eight officials from the
   FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the departments of Interior, Justice,
   and Health and Human Services. Attorney General William Barr and
   Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt will head the task force.

   "We will leverage every resource we have to bring safety to our tribal
   communities, and we will not waver in this mission," Trump said during
   an Oval Office signing ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 26.

   The order comes in the wake of an announcement Barr made during a
   recent trip to Montana, where he said the government will commit $1.5
   million to hire coordinators in 11 states where the crisis is most
   pressing. Among other goals, they will work to systemize the way
   tribal, local, state and federal law enforcement report and manage
   missing and murdered (MMIW) cases.

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