Six-Month FBI Sweep Yields 168 Arrests on Tribal Lands
Operation Steadfast Promise ran from April through September across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
By Dominic Foster ·
Residents of tribal communities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota saw 168 arrests during a federal law enforcement campaign that concluded in September. The Minneapolis FBI Field Office said Thursday that Operation Steadfast Promise generated 65 criminal cases over its six-month run, targeting gangs, cartels, drug trafficking and violent crime.
The operation also turned up 28 child victims across the three states, and authorities located or recovered 36 children on tribal lands. Federal officials did not provide further detail on those cases in the announcement.
Local Special Agent Christopher Dotson described the work as a beginning, saying the results are "a starting point for the work we will continue to do to bring justice to victims of crime, their families, and the tribal communities that are impacted by these crimes."
Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said his office would keep working with tribal, local and federal partners. "Protecting vulnerable children and communities in Indian Country and holding those who commit violent and heinous offenses accountable remains my office's highest priority," Rosen said.
The Minneapolis FBI Field Office covers Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Operation Steadfast Promise ran from April through September, and the arrests and cases were announced Thursday.
