Since January, the current presidential administration has ushered in a period of significant policy alterations. Notably, substantial volumes of information previously accessible to the public on government websites, including those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have been quietly removed.
Report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Removed
One such instance involves the final report from the Not Invisible Act Commission, issued in November 2023. This commission, established through bipartisan legislation enacted by the previous administration, was a joint effort by the Justice Department and the Interior Department. Its mandate was to investigate, document, and address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP), where Indigenous communities experience disproportionately high rates of kidnapping, violence, and homicide.
Reliable data concerning the MMIP and missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) crises can be limited and outdated. However, data from 2019 indicated that homicide was the third leading cause of death for Indigenous girls aged 15 to 19 and Indigenous women aged 20 to 24.
Commission Hearings and Findings
The Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report was the culmination of seven public hearings held across the nation and a virtual national hearing. Nearly 600 individuals participated in these hearings, with approximately 260, including survivors, victims’ families, advocates, and law enforcement personnel, providing testimony. The commission subsequently released its conclusive report containing recommendations to tackle this crisis.
Impact and Importance of the Report
Resources like the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report provided crucial data and guidance for Indigenous communities and governments, as well as various levels of the U.S. government, on strategies to mitigate the crisis. The act itself marked a significant milestone, highlighting an issue faced by Indian Country for decades. It was also the first legislation introduced and passed by four Indigenous members of the U.S. Congress.
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Despite the report’s removal from online access, advocates affirm their continued dedication to raising awareness and ending the MMIP and MMIW crises.
Concerns Over Data Accessibility
Charolette Gonzales, policy and advocacy director for the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW), expressed her dismay, along with her colleagues, at the removal of the Not Invisible Act Commission’s report from the federal website.
“They immediately questioned the implications for the future availability of information crucial to their work,” Gonzales, a member of the Diné and San Ildefonso Pueblo communities, stated. “Our priority is ensuring our communities are informed. This raises concerns about our ability to do so.”
The coalition’s work focuses on preventative measures to stop violence against Indigenous women before it occurs.
“By providing education, we better empower individuals to advocate for themselves. This work is especially vital in these unprecedented times under the current administration,” she added.
Karrisa Newkirk, representing Oklahoma-based MMIW Chahta, an organization offering financial aid to affected families, law enforcement training, and victim support, emphasized that their work persists irrespective of decisions made in Washington.
“Regarding our mission, we haven’t faltered,” Newkirk stated. “We will continue serving our families as we always have. However, for the broader MMIW movement across the United States, this feels like a regression, hindering public awareness of the crisis’s severity.”
Newkirk stressed that the data gathered by the commission should have been utilized to implement concrete changes and that a national database tracking MMIW cases remains essential.
“Despite recent progress, removing this report feels like a setback, a significant blow,” she said. “We felt heard and acknowledged, but now it feels like that recognition is fading… Considering the existing lack of awareness, removing this from the U.S. website is deeply discouraging.”
Advocates Seek Alternative Data Preservation
CSVANW is exploring the creation of an independent database, utilizing years of collected information, including previously issued Justice Department documents. Some advocates have been promoting this strategy of storing vital resources outside of government agency websites since website content removals began.
For example, the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc (NIWRC), a non-profit dedicated to ending violence against Native women, children, and communities, maintains an accessible copy of the Not Invisible Act’s report.
“We are proactively collecting as much information as possible as it is being deliberately made unavailable,” Gonzales explained. “This information control severely impacts our communities and our work. We already face limited resources as a Native and survivor-led organization serving our tribal communities.”
MMIW Chahta also maintains its own data and strives to address racial misclassification by law enforcement.
Tribal communities also harbor concerns regarding the upholding of treaties by the U.S. government, Gonzales noted. Treaty violations have a long history in the U.S., predating the current administration.
Since taking office, the current administration has directed the General Services Administration to terminate leases for approximately 7,500 federal offices, including 25 regional Bureau of Indian Affairs offices. Recently, an executive order from the previous administration aimed at strengthening tribal sovereignty for the 574 federally recognized tribes was revoked.
Following the removal of the Not Invisible Act Commission’s report, federal agencies have reportedly identified hundreds of terms, including “indigenous community”, “tribal”, and “Native American”, for restricted use. Defense department websites have also removed content about Indigenous code talkers, whose use of Choctaw and Navajo languages was crucial during World Wars I and II.
Impact on Indigenous Communities and Future Actions
Gonzales reflected on the sweeping changes implemented by the administration and their consequences for Indigenous people: “Many community members and our staff are emotionally drained by the constant stream of new executive orders.”
“Our services and resources are essential to reducing violence in our communities… This recent development immediately raised concerns that Native women will die due to the potential loss of federal funding. This is a stark reality.”