05.18.18

Hoeven Continues Work To Advance New Detention Facility For Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate

As Indian Affairs Chairman & Appropriations Member, Senator Secured Legislation to Fund & Prioritize New Facility

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, this week joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to support the construction of a new detention facility for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate. The existing facility is beyond repair and has been decommissioned. Hoeven worked through his role on the Appropriations Committee to pass legislation that funded construction of new Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) detention centers and ensured the Sisseton-Wahpeton project was listed as a top priority. The senator also raised the issue in-person with BIA officials at a SCIA hearing last month.

“The Sisseton-Wahpeton law enforcement need this new facility to adequately serve the community and address urgent public safety issues, such as the increase in violent and drug-related crimes,” said Hoeven. “After BIA closed the existing jail with no plans to build a new detention center, we worked hard to secure funding for the project and ensure the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate were a top priority. Now we are urging Secretary Zinke and Attorney General Sessions to move construction forward as soon as possible.” 

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