Minnesota's Department of Public Safety (DPS) welcomes Guadalupe Lopez as the new director of its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) Office, a role she officially began on July 30. Lopez, acknowledged for her advocacy and coalition-building within Indigenous communities of Minnesota, brings over two decades of experience tackling issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. Her appointment signifies a continued effort to address these critical issues at both community and national levels.
"Director Lopez has walked with impacted families and built strong relationships with law enforcement," stated DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson, emphasizing her blend of grassroots involvement, and national leadership. With Lopez at the helm, the MMIR Office anticipates a strengthened connection with the voices of the community it serves, while also embarking on innovative approaches to the violence affecting Indigenous people, according to a DPS news release. Prior to this, she served as the executive director for Violence Free Minnesota, leading a coalition of over 90 member programs.
Lopez's appointment marks a commitment to sustaining the dialogue around Indigenous concerns, something she refers to as more than a job but "about the survival of my people, my children and our collective future generations," as reported by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Her past accomplishments include initiating the first MMIR march in the Twin Cities Metro Area and contributing to pivotal reports on the trafficking of Indigenous women in Minnesota. She is also an enrolled member of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, bringing a personal connection to the community she aims to serve.
The alarming statistics underscore the importance of Lopez's role; 716 Indigenous persons were reported missing last year alone in Minnesota, with women comprising 57 percent of that number. In a stark revelation, Indigenous women, who represent less than 1 percent of the state's population, accounted for 10 percent of all missing female reports in 2024, as highlighted in the DPS news release. The Centers for Disease Control lists murder as the third leading cause of death among Indigenous women and girls, and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center points to murder rates in some communities that are 10 times the national average.
Since being established by Gov. Tim Walz in 2021, the MMIR Office under the DPS works to reduce and ultimately cease the disproportionate violence, disappearances, and murders of Indigenous individuals. The stark figures and grave statistics presented by the agency are a call to action, one which Lopez is now poised to spearhead in her new capacity within Minnesota's public safety infrastructure. The MMIR Office, a part of DPS's Office of Justice Programs, continues to represent an unprecedented initiative in confronting a long-standing national crisis.
