The Trump administration will surge FBI resources across the country to address unsolved violent crimes in lands inhabited by Native American tribes, including crimes related to missing persons and the murders of indigenous persons.
Under “Operation Not Forgotten,” the FBI will send 60 personnel to various parts of “Indian Country” over a six-month period where they will rotate in 90-day temporary assignments, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
The additional personnel will support FBI field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City.
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The announcement came a day after the FBI field office in Albuquerque said a man admitted to killing an Indigenous artist following a November 2021 argument. DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo, a talented artist and the daughter of Native American artists Geraldine Tso, a Navajo artist, and David Gary Suazo, a Taos Pueblo painter, was killed by her boyfriend, Santiago Martinez, the FBI said.
DeAnna Autumn Leaf Suazo, holding her artwork. Suazo was murdered by her boyfriend in November 2021, the FBI said. (Justice Department)
“Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “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 work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies, authorities said.
“The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Crisis is impacting tribal communities across the country. We appreciate the partnership of the Department of Justice and the FBI in addressing these crimes,” Scott Davis, the senior advisor to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, while exercising the delegated authority of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, told Fox News Digital. “The BIA MMU will work alongside the FBI to analyze and solve missing, murdered and human trafficking cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.”
“This announcement reinforces our commitment to Indian Country and our dedication to collaborating with federal, state, and tribal agencies to ensure justice for American Indian and Alaska Native victims while holding offenders accountable,” he added.
Crime continues to persist in Native American communities, the Justice Department said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. (Reuters)
Beginning in fiscal year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program had around 4,300 open investigations, including more than 900 death investigations, 1,000 for child abuse and more than 500 for domestic violence and sexual abuse.
In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency will “manhunt violent criminals on all lands.”
A Bureau of Indian Affairs police officer. The agency will team with the FBI to address thousands of violent crime cases on Native American lands. (Bureau of Indian Affairs)
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In 2019, Trump signed an executive order during his first term establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The order was aimed at addressing the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people, particularly women and girls.
Tuesday’s announcement will be the third iteration of Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. The operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
