FBI surge will support investigations of Indian Country violent crimes, including MMIP

By Michelle Alaimo

Smoke Signals assistant editor

WASHINGTON -- The FBI announced on Tuesday, April 1, it will increase support across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to Missing and Murdered Indigenous People through Operation Not Forgotten.

The FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date, according to a press release.

FBI personnel will support field offices in 10 cities, including Portland, Oregon and Seattle. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.

FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit.

 “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with U.S. attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”

“The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on Tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Donald Trump’s first term under Executive Order 13898, establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, the press release stated.

Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address MMIP cases. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. attorneys’ offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

Grand Ronde Tribal member Amanda Freeman is the founder and chair of Ampkwa Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting Indigenous communities by raising awareness for MMIP, promoting safety and prevention and supporting healing through advocacy, education and art.

Freeman’s initial reaction, before she had time to fully review the details and broader framing of the initiative was, “This is a strong step in the right direction. Our people have been asking for this kind of response for years, and it’s good to finally see the FBI committing more agents and resources to help solve these cases. It doesn’t undo the harm, but it’s a start. (It’s) also a sign that maybe the urgency is finally being recognized at the level it should’ve been all along. At Ampkwa Advocacy, we’ve been doing everything we can to bring our people home and keep them safe through our awareness and prevention efforts. I’m hopeful this will open the door for more collaboration, more answers, and more action. We’re ready to show up and work together however we can.”

After looking more closely and speaking with others who share similar concerns, she said, “This is work we’ve carried ourselves. Federal involvement in these cases has been inconsistent at best, and any new initiative deserves close attention.”

She added, “The announcement outlines a surge of FBI personnel into Indian Country but offers few details about Tribal leadership, long-term planning, or how Indigenous families will be involved and supported. Without that clarity, it is difficult to assess whether this is a meaningful step toward justice—or simply an increase in federal presence without real collaboration.”

Freeman’s initial hope that this might lead to more answers and accountability still stands, but it is cautious. She explained that she doesn’t speak from a place of automatic mistrust, but from lived experience and from a long history of promises made that were not kept.

“We are not fragile,” she said. “We are not waiting to be saved. We have learned from experience. That history has made us stronger, more discerning, and more committed to protecting our people on our own terms. We are not looking for symbolic efforts. We are looking for consistency, transparency, and respectful partnerships. And we are looking for assurance that any action taken in our communities centers the voices and safety of Indigenous people—not just the goals of federal agencies.”