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- By Elyse Wild
Lawmakers last week introduced a bill that could help in the recovery of Native children missing on reservations.
The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act authorizes the United States Marshals Service to execute arrest warrants on behalf of Tribal law enforcement and assist in the search for missing children. It was introduced in the House on Feb. 11 by Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM).
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 294 Native children were reported missing in 2023, a number that is likely underreported due to many cases not being reported to federal databases. The issue of missing Native children is a symptom of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP), in which a disproportionate number of Native people are victims of violence. Many cases go cold due to yawning gaps in federal policy that result in jurisdictional confusion, and inconsistent, inaccurate, and disparate reporting and data.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates there are 4,200 unsolved MMIP cases, although those numbers are outdated and the actual number is likely higher, Native advocates say.
The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act is a response to recommendations from the Not Invisible Act Commission, which held seven field hearings across Indian Country in 2023 to investigate the scope and depth of the MMIP crisis. The Commission found that federal law has set limitations on Tribal law enforcement, one of which is the inability and lack of authority for the United States Marshal Service (USMS) to assist Tribal law enforcement with warrants for arrest and searching for missing children, as the USMS would normally do with state, federal, and local agencies.
The bill would also allow the USMS to act for the swift apprehension of an individual who has a violent felony arrest warrant from Tribal courts and poses a threat to public safety outside of Tribal lands and include Tribal law enforcement in the Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, according to a press release from Cole’s office.
“For far too long, predators have preyed on vulnerable children in Indian Country at alarming rates. Yet, Tribal law enforcement still faces obstacles and limitations when it comes to holding these predators accountable,” Cole said in the press release.
The bill comes on the heels of highly publicized cases of missing Native children that captured attention beyond Indian Country.
In January 2025, 14-year-old Emily Pike (San Carlos Apache) went missing from a group home in Mesa, Ariz. She was found dead and dismembered almost two weeks later along Highway 60, just outside of the Fort Apache reservation. Her murder remains unsolved.
Last month, 8-year-old Maleeka “Mollie” Boon (Diné) was found dead on the Navajo Nation reservation after going missing less than 24 hours earlier. Her killer has not been identified.
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