BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown joined attorneys general from 38 other states in urging Congress to pass the Tribal Warrant Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation that would provide critical federal law enforcement support to tribal communities across the nation.
In a letter sent to Congress, the group calls for passage of the legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. The Act would authorize the U.S. Marshals Service to assist tribal law enforcement agencies in locating and recovering missing children and apprehending violent fugitives. Currently, the Marshals Service can only provide such assistance to state, local and other federal law enforcement agencies.
The letter highlights the urgent need to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), a crisis that disproportionately affects Native American communities.
“We applaud Congress's continued efforts to increase tribal law enforcement agencies' full access to federal public safety resources," the letter states. “The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act is an important next step in a multi-government approach to address MMIP and to ensure equal treatment for our tribal partners."
The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act would expand the U.S. Marshals Service's authority to include assisting tribal law enforcement in locating missing children, allow tribal law enforcement officers to join the U.S. Marshals Service's elite Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, enable tribes to locate and apprehend fugitives through task forces and other lawful means, and require consultation with tribes on implementation.
Attorney General Brown is joined in sending this letter to Congress by the attorneys general of American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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