Skip to main content
Representative Tom Cole logo

Cole Applauds Trump Administration’s Actions on Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons

November 26, 2019

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), a member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma and Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, released the following statement to applaud the Trump Administration's recent actions to combat the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people.

Today, President Trump issued an executive order to establish an interagency task force to address the crisis of missing and murdered women and girls in Indian Country. And on Friday of last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative, which outlines a national strategy that will establish MMIP coordinators in 11 states (including Oklahoma), provide Specialized FBI Rapid Deployment Teams and improve federally supported databases for solving cases.

"I am very encouraged that the Trump Administration is prioritizing solutions to combat the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons. For far too long, predators have preyed on Indian Country, especially on Native women and vulnerable children. By improving coordination and strengthening the partnership between federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies, we can indeed make communities safer and bring criminals to justice across Indian Country. I am hopeful for the success of these initiatives."

Cole has long supported and advocated for solutions to combat violence in Indian Country. In a recent column here, he explained the importance of reauthorizing and improving the tools and resources available to tribal nations.

###