tansi ninôtemik,
The Trump administration, in another problematic move, continues to eradicate decades of discourse on empowering Indigenous voices. On March 20, 2025, reports arose that a significant document on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) was quietly removed from the administrations’ archive, specifically the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report.[1]
The Not Invisible Act was signed into law as the United States’ first bill to be passed and introduced by congressional members enrolled in their specific federally recognized Tribes.[2] As a part of the Act, the Not Invisible Act Commission was established to address public safety challenges including identifying, reporting and responding to MMIP cases and human trafficking.[3] The Commission’s final report was created through in-person hearings held across the country with 600 attendees, with a group of 260 people including survivors, victims, family members, advocates, and law enforcement who gave testimony to the commission.[4]
In many ways this report is similar to Canada’s National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). While the National Inquiry into MMIWG has detailed findings like the Not Invisible Act Commission’s report, it has also struggled to remain consistently prominent in public discourse due to emotional burnout and general disinterest in issues affecting Indigenous peoples. Both of these instances display how calls for accountability and evidence of Indigenous peoples’ suffering remain at risk of being belittled or marginalized further when control of such narratives lies with colonial institutions.
The issue of such reports being withdrawn from public domains lies beyond mere data removal. By removing a public report centered on statistics of MMIP and suggestions for reconciling harms, the Trump administration has decidedly undermined efforts to foster accountability and follow-through on issues affecting Indigenous communities and peoples. Obscuring critical evidence and recommendations brought forth by a monumental commission is not just a bureaucratic decision. This is a clear example, yet again, of a deeply hurtful pattern of colonial government institutions silencing Indigenous voices. It is hard not to see the irony in the removal of the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report, making Indigenous voices, once again, invisible.
The removal of the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report brings forward more pressing concerns regarding who controls data about and affecting Indigenous peoples, and thus, who controls the narrative. In her work on data sovereignty, law professor Rebecca Tsosie argues that Indigenous data sovereignty is the resolution central to Indigenous communities reclaiming their narratives, and building firm foundations for self-determination.[5] Data is not simply numbers or statistics, instead, its importance is understood when examining the backdrop on which it rests: an amalgamation of cultural, political, and ethical perspectives.[6] When reports with data highlighting violence against Indigenous peoples is controlled for distribution by solely colonial institutions, violence is further perpetuated since settlers in power dictate whether Indigenous voices should, or should not be heard.
As we reflect on the removal and censorship of crucial reports by the Trump administration, we must tackle the uncomfortable reality of news and media censorship head on. When data is removed or a published report is erased, what is truly being lost is a means of understanding and addressing systemic violence, not just a document. Whether Indigenous voices are silenced through media censorship or data erasure, disempowering Indigenous self-sovereignty continues the historic cycles of marginalization and violence at the hands of colonizers.
As the Canadian federal election looms on the horizon, we must ask ourselves if promises of self-determination and sovereignty will be met by our future political leaders with concrete policies that transfer control of data to Indigenous communities. How do we, as voters, hold candidates accountable to commitments that recognize Indigenous rights on paper, but also actively empower communities to have control over their stories and be empowered in sharing them? These questions are at the heart of reconciliation and active accountability from the Canadian government. While we head into an election season with the power to redefine Canada’s future, we must assess whether our political leaders will support Indigenous-led data governance, among many other things, or if we will continue to see these narratives controlled in Canada also by institutions that have marginalized indigenous peoples.
ekosi and until next time,
The ReconciliACTION Team
Citations
[1] Adria Walker, “‘A slap in the face’: activists reel as Trump administration removes crucial missing Indigenous peoples report” (20 March 2025), online: <theguardian.com> [perma.cc/ZLG9-63QM].
[2] United States, Department of Justice, Not Invisible Act Commission (accessed 22 March 2025), online: <justice.gov> [perma.cc/TKX9-4KSU].
[3] Ibid.
[4] Walker, supra note 1.
[5] Rebecca Tsosie, “Tribal Data Governance and Informational Privacy: Constructing Indigenous Data Sovereignty” (2019) 80 Mont L Rev 229.
[6] Ibid at 230–232.
[Image] Indianz, “S.982: Not Invisible Act – 116th Congress” (23 September 2020), online (video): <youtube.com> [perma.cc/ M6X8-YE3P].
Comentários