Cortez Masto, Mullin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Tribes Apprehend Violent Criminals

Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation allow the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to help Tribal law enforcement track down violent criminals and search for missing children. TheTribal Warrant Fairness Actis the latest effort in Cortez Masto’s yearslong push to increase public safety in Indian Country and end the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).
“Tribal communities need more tools to combat violent crime,”said Senator Cortez Masto.“It is both ridiculous and cruel that Tribal law enforcement can’t use the U.S. Marshals Service like any other comparable law enforcement agency would to keep their communities safe. My bipartisan bill would fix this injustice and help catch violent criminals faster.”
“I am steadfast in my commitment to the safety and security of our tribal communities,”said Senator Mullin.“TheTribal Warrant Fairness Actis a commonsense solution to fill in the jurisdictional gaps and grant the United States Marshals Service authority to assist where needed with their unique capabilities.”
Tribal communitiesexperience some of the highestrates of violence, particularly against women and children, in the United States, but Tribal law enforcement often faces limitations on how they can respond. One such limitation is the inability of the USMS to help Tribal law enforcement locate and arrest criminal suspects and search for missing children. The USMS provides these services to other law enforcement agencies but is not authorized to do so for Tribal law enforcement. TheTribal Warrant Fairness Actcorrects this injustice by authorizing the USMS to assist Tribal law enforcement as it would any other law enforcement agency.
The full text of thebill can be foundhere, and a one-pager can be foundhere.
TheTribal Warrant Fairness Actis part of Senator Cortez Masto’s response to the2023 Not Invisible Act Commission Report, which gave recommendations to lawmakers and the federal government to combat the MMIP crisis. The commission’s report was mandated by Cortez Masto’s bipartisanNot Invisible Act, which wassigned into lawin 2020. Following the report, Cortez Masto has pushed both herBADGES for Native Communities Actand herTribal Access to Electronic Evidence Act,both of which contain Tribal public safety measures endorsed by the commission. The Not Invisible Act Commission Report wasremovedfrom the Department of Justice website more than 255 days ago by the Trump administration and has not been restored. Beyond public safety, Cortez Masto has pushed tobetterhealth care,maintain voting rights, anddeliver tax parityfor Tribes.
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