The Justice Department has announced a new initiative to deploy FBI resources across the United States to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, particularly those related to missing and murdered Indigenous persons. The operation involves deploying 60 FBI personnel in temporary 90-day assignments over a six-month period, marking the longest and most comprehensive deployment of FBI resources for Indian Country crime to date. These personnel will be placed in field offices located in Albuquerque, Denver, Detroit, Jackson, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City, working alongside the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement.
The FBI staff will receive support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and will utilize advanced forensic evidence processing tools. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices will actively prosecute the cases referred to them.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added, “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.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah commented, “Violent crime has no borders and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Utah remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to seek justice in Indian Country cases and protecting public safety.”
Indian Country confronts ongoing crime and victimization challenges. As of the start of Fiscal Year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program was dealing with approximately 4,300 active investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse cases, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.
This initiative, Operation Not Forgotten, revives efforts from President Trump’s first term under Executive Order 13898, which established the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. It marks the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten and has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in two years, resulting in the recovery of ten child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Operation Not Forgotten builds on previous resource deployments aimed at addressing cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people and is supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide to help prevent and address cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people.
