STATE News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is establishing an advisory council to support the state’s ongoing work to implement the New Mexico State Response Plan released in 2022.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Advisory Council will be led by tribal and state leadership, law enforcement agencies, advocates and family members who have experienced the loss of a missing and murdered person.
Gov. Lujan Grisham appointed Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. Jenelle Roybal and Picuris Gov. Craig Quanchello to lead the Advisory Council. Govs. Roybal and Quanchello are in the final stages of selecting members of the council and they will be announced soon.
“I am grateful to Governors Roybal and Quanchello for leading the MMIP Advisory Council and I have full confidence the Council will effectively guide efforts to address this crisis,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Bringing more law enforcement to the table will help address a major crux of this issue: a lack of coordination among federal, tribal, state and local entities. The work of this group will help bring missing Native people home, provide closure to families and communities, and prevent other families from experiencing these tragedies.”
“I want to thank Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for her trust and confidence in me to lead this group. I want to also thank Secretary James Mountain and his team for their leadership up to this point,” Gov. Roybal said. “I would also like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the members of the task force for their hard work and dedication in laying the foundation for us all to build upon. To all the victims, survivors, family members of those lost or missing, I see you, I hear you. We stand ready to continue the fight to bring all of our brothers and sisters, mother and fathers, sons and daughters home.”
“I am honored to be appointed to this role on the advisory Council to serve as a tribal leader, our Native people, and Gov. Lujan Grisham and her administration,” Gov. Quanchello said. “I am committed and fully support, the Indian Affairs Department and the Department of Public Safety in the work that they have done this far to carry out and execute the New Mexico state response plan to address the crisis of missing and murdered, indigenous persons.”
“The MMIP Advisory Council will play a crucial role in addressing the alarming rates of violence and disappearances within Indigenous communities,” Department of Public Safety Secretary Jason R. Bowie said. “We affirm DPS’ commitment to collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and comprehensive strategies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous individuals.”
“The Indian Affairs Department is very excited to continue the work and implement the next steps of the State Response Plan,” said Indian Affairs Department Secretary-designate James Mountain. “I look forward to working with the leadership of the Advisory Council.”
The second annual Missing in New Mexico Day, which brings together resources for families of missing indigenous people, will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Albuquerque.