Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced bipartisan legislation to allow the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) to help Tribal law enforcement track down violent criminals and search for missing children.

“I am steadfast in my commitment to the safety and security of our Tribal communities,” said Senator Mullin. “The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act is 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 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.”

Tribal communities experience some of the highest rates 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. The Tribal Warrant Fairness Act corrects this injustice by authorizing the USMS to assist Tribal law enforcement as it would any other law enforcement agency.

Full text of the Tribal Warrant Fairness Act can be found here.

###