WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) –- Tribal leaders were on Capitol Hill Wednesday demanding accountability and asking for more resources for missing and murdered Indigenous women.

During a House hearing, tribal advocates described a “crisis” impacting Indigenous women across the country.

“This is a crisis, it’s not an issue. It’s a crisis,” Cheryl Horn, a member of the Assiniboine Tribe of Fort Belknap said.

Horn, whose two nieces were both found dead, described the difficulty associated with trying to get a proper investigation.

“We had to fight for an investigation, we had to fight for everything,” Horn said.

Tribal advocates highlighted the lack of attention that cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women get.

“When an Indigenous woman goes missing, there is not the same attention and action as when a Caucasian woman does,” Maulian Bryant, a member of Penobscot Nation said.

They described gaps in law enforcement, lack of resources, data collection and jurisdictional issues as some of the problems families face when trying to find or seek justice for their loved ones.

“The maze of jurisdiction has created an opportunity for predators to utilize it to ensure that they can move from reservation to reservation, community to community,” Abigail Echo-Hawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation said.

Tribal lands have their own jurisdiction and laws, which makes it hard to prosecute non-native members.

Advocates asked lawmakers for funding and resources, as well as legislation to establish a national alert system for missing and endangered American Indians, Alaska Natives and Indigenous people.

According to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide rates among American Indian and Alaska Native people were nearly four times higher than homicide rates for white people.

Lawmakers in the hearing expressed a willingness to reach across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions. A second panel consisting of officials from agencies like the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services also testified about possible solutions.