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African-American congressional members are calling on the FBI to assist with investigations surrounding missing children in the District of Columbia.

According to NBC News Los Angeles, Congressional Black Caucus chairman Cedric Richmond and D.C. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a letter to FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking them for resources to address the missing persons cases.

From NBC:

The letter, dated Tuesday and obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, was sent by Congressional Black Caucus chairman Cedric Richmond, D-La., and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents the District in Congress. They called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey to “devote the resources necessary to determine whether these developments are an anomaly or whether they are indicative of an underlying trend that must be addressed.”

An email sent to the Justice Department seeking comment was not immediately answered Thursday. Richmond said he hopes to meet with Sessions and bring up the issue. No meeting is currently scheduled. But President Donald Trump assured caucus members on Wednesday that he would make his Cabinet secretaries available to them.

D.C. police officials said there has been no increase in the numbers of missing persons in their jurisdiction. “We’ve just been posting them on social media more often,” said Metropolitan Police spokeswoman Rachel Reid.

The letter comes after there has been a lack of mainstream media attention related to missing Black and Latinx girls from the District of Columbia.

According to the outlet, there are 170,899 missing Black children who are under the age of 18 throughout the United States.

SOURCE: NBC

SEE ALSO:

12-Year-Old Girl Goes Missing In South Carolina

D.C. Residents Outraged That More Than a Dozen Black, Latinx Girls Missing

Black Congressional Members Urge FBI To Help Find Missing Black Girls  was originally published on newsone.com