By Illinois Review
On Wednesday, Mark Vargas joined tribal leaders in Washington for a high-level meeting with FBI Director Kash Patel, focusing on the agency’s recent commitment to increase federal resources to combat human trafficking, unsolved violent crimes and cartel activity on Native American reservations.
In April, the U.S. Department of Justice, under the direction of President Donald Trump, announced the relaunch of Operation Not Forgotten – a significant deployment of over 60 FBI agents and resources to Indian Country aimed at investigating unresolved violent crimes.
This initiative represents the largest federal surge of resources to Native American reservations in history.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the agency’s commitment, stating, “The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands” and “find those who have gone missing.”
Vargas, a respected strategist, Newsmax columnist, and editor-in-chief of Illinois Review, was joined by Navajo Nation Speaker and Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT) Vice-Chairwoman Crystalyne Curley; COLT Treasurer and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Vice President Lisa White Pipe; and COLT Chairman and Chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, J. Garret Renville.
Public safety on Indian reservations is severely underfunded, exposing these communities to exploitation, drug cartel activity, violence, and human trafficking. For example, the Crow Tribe in southern Montana manages 2.3 million acres but has only two police officers to protect its people – leaving women and children especially vulnerable to kidnapping and exploitation.
According to the Justice Department, at the start of Fiscal Year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program was managing approximately 4,300 open investigations. These included over 900 death cases, 1,000 child abuse cases, and more than 500 investigations related to domestic violence and adult sexual abuse.
Operation Not Forgotten builds on efforts initiated during President Trump’s first term through Executive Order 13898, which established the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
This marks the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has supported investigations in over 500 cases over the past two years. Together, these operations have led to the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.
Director Patel also expressed his commitment during the meeting to visiting tribal communities in person to witness the daily challenges faced by law enforcement – including vast, remote territories, understaffed police forces and severely underfunded facilities and equipment.
