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Senator presses nominee Mitty on whether immigration enforcement is sidelining Alaska’s violent-crime response
Summary
At a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs confirmation hearing, a senator pressed nominee Mitty about Alaska’s spike in fentanyl deaths and an unusually high violent-crime rate and asked whether immigration enforcement was diverting resources; Mitty said federal partners have added agents, charged defendants under Operation Takeback America, and pledged follow-up on tribal funding delays.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, a senator pressed nominee Mitty on whether immigration enforcement was being prioritized over efforts to combat violent crime in Alaska amid a sharp rise in fentanyl-related deaths.
The senator said Alaska saw an increase of "over 40%" in fentanyl deaths between 2022 and 2023 and added that the state's violent-crime rate in 2023 was "more than 540% of the national average," calling the numbers "stunning." "One death due to fentanyl is one death too many," the senator said.
Mitty responded that federal partners are increasing resources in Alaska. He said the FBI has added agents in the state and that the federal initiative "Operation Takeback America" has led to criminal charges in the District of Alaska. "We have criminally charged 39 defendants over the last four months under Operation Takeback America," Mitty said, adding that the effort is nationwide.
Mitty said he had discussed Alaska with FBI leadership, including Director Patel, and that he had spoken with the incoming U.S. marshal identified in the transcript as Gaddy Serala about deploying additional resources. "As soon as he is in office, we want to sit down and meet with you about that," Mitty said, referring to state leaders.
He also noted recent drug seizures, saying, "we have seized 4.5 kilos of fentanyl since January in Alaska," and reiterated that federal attention to Alaska would be prioritized even as immigration enforcement continues.
The senator raised community concerns that FBI, DEA and ICE activity has sometimes focused on immigration enforcement that led to high-profile detentions of long-standing local residents. She asked whether that focus would detract from violent-crime investigations; Mitty said the efforts "go hand in hand" but pledged more resources.
The exchange ended with an agreement to follow up on a delayed notice of award (NOA) for an OBVC tribal set-aside affecting Mountain Village and with an invitation for Mitty to visit Alaska to see tribal resource response plans and related sites.
Next steps: Mitty and committee members said they would pursue additional meetings and follow-up calls about resources and the NOA delay.
