Rep. Gabe Vasquez Supports Tribal Communities and Strengthening Public Safety with the BADGES Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 8, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) cosponsored the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety for Native Communities (BADGES) Act to support Tribal Law enforcement and strengthen public safety in Indian Country. In the United States there are an estimated 4,200 missing and murdered Indigenous People cases that have gone unsolved. In response, the bill improves coordination in missing persons investigations and support for the recruitment and retention of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Law Enforcement Officers.

Specifically, this bill would strengthen coordination between Tribal Law Enforcement and the BIA through initiatives such as: 

• Increasing Tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System by creating Tribal facilitators to improve coordination, outreach, training, and reporting across jurisdictions.
• Requiring a comprehensive report on Tribal law enforcement needs.
• Allowing the BIA to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement applicants to speed up hiring and improve officer recruitment. 
• Establishing a grant program to help states, Tribes, and Tribal organizations coordinate investigations into missing and murdered persons and sexual assault cases.
• Ensuring BIA officers and Tribal police have access to culturally appropriate mental health and wellness programs.

“Stronger collaboration between the BIA and Tribal Law enforcement is long overdue, and I am proud to support this bill,” said Vasquez. “The BADGES Act brings us one step closer to ensuring justice is served for Tribal communities.” 

This comes after Rep. Vasquez’s recent meeting with Ramah Navajo Police Chief Rory Atcitty, during which they discussed strengthening federal support for Tribal law enforcement.

Rep.Vasquez is an avid supporter of bolstering public safety for Tribal Communities, including advanced training and resources for Tribal law enforcement services. His previous work includes: 

• Leading the Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act to enhance public safety within Tribal communities by removing the need for tribes to obtain Special Law Enforcement Commissions, which are currently burdensome and delay enforcement authority. 
• Voted in favor of the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations package which provided $9 billion in funding for state and local law enforcement, and supporting crime victims to include tribal police and tribal communities.
• Cosponsoring the Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act, which would authorize federal funding for critical tribal programs, including at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, one year in advance and ensure that the federal government can better meet its trust and treaty responsibilities to Native Americans.

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