President Donald Trump has signed into law the Not Invisible Act and Savanna’s Act, two measures that address the issue of murdered and missing indigenous women.
Savanna’s Act, named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a pregnant 22-year-old tribe member from North Dakota who was killed three years ago, will establish law enforcement protocols relating to cases of missing and murdered indigenous women. Specifically, the bill directs the Justice Department to set up national law-enforcement guidelines between the federal government and Native American tribes with the aim of helping track, solve, and prevent crimes against Native Americans.
The Not Invisible Act directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice to establish a joint task force on violent crime within and against Native American communities.
Myron Lizer, Navajo Nation vice president, said: “We certainly thank the members of the House and Senate and President Trump for supporting these new laws that will help many tribes and families in Indian Country. We have heard many stories and firsthand accounts of our people who have gone missing and/or have been murdered, and many families continue to suffer from the resulting trauma and heartache. I am hopeful that these new provisions will lead to justice, closure, and healing for many of our people.”
Savanna’s Act was introduced by former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, and then reintroduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) when Heitkamp lost a reelection battle and after the bill stalled in Congress.
“I’m proud that we have elevated this issue from raising awareness, to action—having created enduring policy to make real, lasting change,“ she wrote. ”Today, we are reminding these families, they matter and their loved ones who are lost matter.”
Navajo Nation representatives said in a statement that, due to lack of adequate data systems and coordination with federal law-enforcement agencies, it’s unknown how many Native American women go missing every year.