FBI Increases Resources to Address Violence in Native American Communities
The FBI is intensifying its efforts to address unsolved violent crimes in Native American areas by deploying additional agents and personnel to selected field offices across 10 states. This move represents a continued push by the federal government to tackle the high incidence of violence in these communities.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department announced the immediate commencement of these temporary assignments, which will rotate every 90 days. The field offices involved are located in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, Oregon, and Jackson, Mississippi.
In collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, tribal authorities, and federal prosecutors, the FBI aims to enhance the investigation of these cases. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized the critical nature of this initiative, stating, “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. 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.”
Efforts to highlight this crisis have been ongoing for decades. Former President Donald Trump acknowledged the issue with an executive order during his term, establishing a task force to address the alarming rates of violence and disappearances affecting Native American and Alaska Native populations. He also signed legislation in 2020 aimed at improving law enforcement response to these cases through consultations with tribes and the creation of a federal commission.
President Joe Biden followed with his own executive order on public safety in 2021. Subsequently, then-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland spearheaded efforts to implement the Not Invisible Act and the federal commission, gathering feedback from survivors and family members through public meetings nationwide. Recommendations were formulated in 2023 as part of this initiative.
The Justice Department also launched its Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons outreach program that year, deploying additional attorneys and coordinators to regions with unsolved cases.
In previous years, the FBI’s Operation Not Forgotten deployed around 50 personnel for temporary assignments. This year, that number has increased to 60. Advocates highlight the need for consistent resources and trained detectives, emphasizing the importance of making the FBI’s recent surge a permanent investment. Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute in Seattle, stated, “This shouldn’t be just a one-time, six-month effort. We need this type of investment to continue and for Indian Country to get the resources that we so desperately need.”
Echo-Hawk also noted that holding people accountable could deter future crimes and expressed hope that some families might find justice through this initiative.
The Biden administration took approximately four months to respond to the Not Invisible Commission’s recommendations, acknowledging more needed to be done to address the crisis and heal generational traumas. However, the current status of these recommendations remains unclear as the Justice Department’s webpage containing the report is no longer available.
Echo-Hawk expressed optimism that the commitments made by Trump during his term would be realized. “The Not Invisible Act Commission recommendations need to be restored,” she said, “and we need to look at opportunities to actualize them.”
According to federal data, the FBI’s Indian Country program had 4,300 open cases at the start of the fiscal year, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse cases, and 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations. Over the past two years, the operation has supported over 500 investigations, resulting in the recovery of 10 child victims and the arrest of more than 50 suspects.
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