Deb Haaland’s push to protect Indigenous people disappoints some Indigenous leaders

The murder rate in Native American communities nationwide is more than twice the national average, a statistic then-Representative Deb Haaland cited four years ago during a legislative hearing.

“While there are many programs and resources that can be used to combat violent crime in Indian Country, there is no comprehensive plan or strategy to do so,” she said.

Before her appointment as the nation’s first Indigenous Cabinet secretary, Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo citizen, was an activist member of Congress representing New Mexico.

“Most importantly, no real solution can be found without the voices of Indigenous survivors,” Haaland said, “which is what makes this bill so special.”

The law established a commission to study areas where the Justice and Interior departments could improve. Both departments have a great deal of influence over law enforcement in Alaska and Indian territories.

After it was signed into law in 2020, Haaland said her Not Invisible Act would hold the federal government accountable for the overwhelming number of Indigenous people who go missing or are murdered in the United States each year.

Haaland said it was critical that Alaska Natives and American Indians help craft a comprehensive plan to focus federal resources on fighting crime where they live. A year later, she was appointed U.S. Interior secretary, leading one of the agencies she had criticized.

The crisis is also affecting isolated communities like Aniak in western Alaska. This small community of about 500 people lives nestled on the banks of the Kuskokwim River.

The Not Invisible Law Commission has identified many reasons why Indigenous people in places like Aniak experience high rates of violent crime. One of them is drug addiction.

In 2017, a drunk man shot his girlfriend and killed another man here with an AK-47.

““And it’s not just the victim’s family, it’s the whole community that has become a victim,” said Laura Simeon, administrator of the Aniak Traditional Council.

The commission also identified a serious funding gap for services such as tribal courts, victim specialists and domestic violence services. In many cases, crimes go unreported.

“We can’t ask people if they need help. They have to come and ask for help,” said Breanna Simeon, who works with crime victims on behalf of the Aniak Tribe.

The tribe has a makeshift shelter for victims of domestic violence, consisting of two rooms in a small house that once served as tribal offices. Both are empty, except for a few dead flies littering the floor. It is a resource only accessible to members of the Aniak tribe, who make up about half of Aniak’s total population.

The Not Invisible Act Commission says Indigenous communities face an “alarming lack” of emergency shelter. And, it says, there simply aren’t enough police.

There used to be a state-funded local police officer next door, but hiring a police officer from the community is difficult and that position hasn’t been filled since at least 2017. Simeon says things seemed safer back then.

“I think so,” she said. “My friend and I used to go running late at night to work out, to get in shape, and we would go out after curfew and he would make us run all the way home…”

Two state police officers work in Aniak, rotating every two weeks. They also serve 15 other roadless communities spread across more than 200,000 square miles. They declined to be interviewed.

Laura Simeon said people here don’t count on them. “And then maybe the police officer will show up the next day… or a few days later. They’re not there when they’re probably needed the most,” Simeon said.

Similar problems exist in the contiguous 48 states, as well as in the Navajo Nation in the desert Southwest, which covers an area as large as the state of South Carolina.

“One of the big problems we face in the nation is that we have a shortage of public safety personnel,” Eugenia Charles-Newton said.

Navajo Nation Council delegate Charles Newton also chairs the nation’s Law and Order Committee. She also said there are not enough law enforcement officers and that even if they were there, police alone would not reduce violent crime.

“So it’s a combination of resources, a combination of changes in laws and a big part of it too is Congress having to understand that these things are happening here in Indian Country,” she said.

Last November, the Not Invisible Act commission presented its final report, which offered more than 300 recommendations for changes within the U.S. Departments of Justice and Interior.

Both agencies exceeded the legal deadline for response by more than a month.

“Personally, we don’t want this commission report to sit on a shelf,” said Tami Jerue, an Alaska-based commissioner for the Not Invisible Act.

The response from the Justice and Interior departments directly addressed only a fraction of the commission’s recommendations, emphasizing that many of them would require additional funding approved by Congress or changes to federal law.

“It seems like it’s kind of a non-answer and only because, you know, the need for action is the important aspect of this report,” Jerue said. She was among several commissioners who expressed disappointment with a process they called rushed. Over eight months, the commission held several on-the-ground hearings, but commissioners say the framework wasn’t supportive enough of Indigenous people who travelled long distances to offer often heartbreaking testimony about their experiences in their communities.

Indigenous people have held Deb Haaland in high regard since she became the first Indigenous cabinet secretary, so many are reluctant to criticize her. But a number of commissioners say their trust in her ability to advocate for Indigenous needs is waning.

Secretary of State Haaland’s staff declined multiple interview requests. Justice Department staff also declined to comment.

Commissioner Tami Jerue is working on a counter-response to the agencies as she looks forward to seeing action taken on the commission’s actions in the future.

Emilie Schwing

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