Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland holds a press call on May 4, 2021, to discuss the Biden administration’s efforts to combat violence against Indigenous peoples, a day before the commemoration of Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives Awareness Day.

Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, is joined by Bryan Newland, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior, and Tracy Toulou, the director of the Office of Tribal Justice at the Department of Justice on the call. Their opening remarks are followed by questions and answers with members of the news media.

NEW: @SecDebHaaland is moving forward to implement the Not Invisible Act and establishing a Joint Commission led by @Interior and @TheJusticeDept on reducing violent crime against American Indians and Alaska Natives.https://t.co/kfiebdqVV3

— US Interior Press Team (@USInteriorPress) April 22, 2021

Haaland, who is the first Native person to lead Interior, recently established the cross-departmental Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU), which will provide the necessary resources and leadership to prioritize unsolved cases. Interior and Justice have also announced the next steps in the implementation of the Not Invisible Act to garner attention to this crisis.