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Press Release

Justice Department Announces Operation Not Forgotten 2026

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Share For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs FBI surges personnel and expands investigative resources and partnerships across Indian country The Department of Justice and FBI announced today a personnel surge in support of Operation Not Forgotten 2026, the latest deployment under Operation Steadfast Promise demonstrating the FBI's sustained commitment to addressing violent crime and improving public safety in Indian Country.

In its fourth year, Operation Not Forgotten focuses on unresolved cases in Indian Country with a priority placed on cases involving violence against women and children, including those who are missing or murdered.

Operation Not Forgotten is a major initiative under FBI’s Operation Steadfast Promise, a comprehensive surge of resources to address a wide range of violent crime threats including gangs and criminal enterprises, violent crimes against children, and fugitive apprehension cases, while working to improve public safety measures impacting Tribal communities. The FBI, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tribal and other federal law enforcement partners, is working across multiple territories to bring investigative aid to cases and resolution for victims and their families.

“We will never accept the high rates of violence suffered by American Indian and Alaska Native people,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This surge will comprehensively address Indian Country violent crime – from gangs, guns and drugs, to domestic and sexual violence – while strengthening partnerships and public safety in Tribal communities.”

“For far too long our tribal partners have been forgotten while their communities suffer unacceptably high rates of violent crime,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Last year’s Operation Not Forgotten was a tremendous success in delivering the resources long needed in Indian Country – and we are just getting started. This FBI will continue working together with our Tribal and federal partners to again surge personnel to block violent actors who think they can act lawlessly within these revered communities.”

“This surge represents the federal law enforcement at its best; coordinated, intelligence-driven, and focused on delivering justice,” said the ATF Deputy Director Rob Cekada. “ATF is proud to stand alongside our partners to bring the full weight of our investigative and forensic capabilities to fight violent crime in Indian Country. This initiative underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring that no community is overlooked and that every victim receives the justice they deserve.”

“Operation Not Forgotten reflects the Department of the Interior’s unwavering commitment to Native families and the strength of our partnership with the FBI to deliver justice where it is long overdue,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Established during President Trump’s first term, the Bureau of Indian Affair's Missing and Murdered Unit has brought national focus to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons crisis—driving stronger investigations, tighter coordination across jurisdictions, and renewed attention to cases that for too long were left unresolved. That work continues with urgency and purpose today, as we stand alongside the FBI to pursue answers for families and uphold our trust responsibility to Native communities.”

Building on prior deployments that have provided investigative support to more than 700 cases, resulting in the recovery of child victims, arrests, and federal indictments, Operation Not Forgotten 2026 represents the Bureau's continued commitment to ensuring that the most serious unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country receive the full weight of federal investigative resources.

Surged personnel, including investigative, intelligence and victim service support, will be deployed on rotating temporary duty assignments across Indian Country in eleven FBI field offices, in Albuquerque, Billings, Detroit, Denver, Jackson, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Portland and Phoenix. Working in close coordination with Tribal law enforcement agencies, the BIA Missing and Murdered Unit, and U.S. Attorneys' Offices, together law enforcement will work to advance open investigations and pursue accountability for victims and their families.

At the start of this fiscal year, the FBI's Indian Country program carried approximately 4,100 open investigations including death investigations, child abuse cases, and domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations underscoring the persistent and urgent need for sustained resource investment in these communities.

The FBI remains committed to standing alongside Tribal communities, federal partners, and local law enforcement to address the violent crime threats that continue to impact Indian Country. To learn more, visit fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/indian-country-crime.

The FBI encourages anyone with information related to unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country to contact their local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Updated April 2, 2026 Component Office of the Attorney General Press Release Number: 26-313

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