Latest phase of response plan that began in 2022
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is establishing an advisory council to support the state’s ongoing work to implement the New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples State Response Plan, which was released in 2022.
The 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.
Lujan Grisham appointed Pueblo of Pojoaque Gov. Jenelle Roybal and Picuris Gov. Craig Quanchello to lead the advisory council. 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 that the council will effectively guide efforts to address this crisis,” 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.”
Roybal thanked the governor for trusting her in this role.
“I want to thank Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for her trust and confidence in me to lead this group. I also want to thank Secretary James Mountain and his team for their leadership up to this point,” she 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 all of us 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, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters home.”
The Indian Affairs Department Secretary-designate James Mountain also shared his excitement for the council.
“The Indian Affairs Department is very excited to continue the work and implement the next steps of the State Response Plan,” Mountain said. “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 held on Dec. 3 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel at 1000 Woodward Pl. NE in Albuquerque.
Staff Reports
