RED LAKE — Agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI executed a search warrant on the Ombimindwaa Gidinawemaaganinaadog building, formerly known as Red Lake Family and Children Services, on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The action was confirmed in an email Friday by FBI Special Agent Matt Vogel, who did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation.
“No arrests were made as a result of this operation,” he wrote. “As an ongoing investigation, I am unable to comment further at this time.”
The program’s Ojibwe title translates to “uplifting our relatives.” It oversees Indian Child Welfare Act compliance for the Red Lake Nation, as well as family welfare and behavioral health services.
In a Facebook statement, the Red Lake Tribal Council stated that the band would “continue to cooperate with the FBI and our tribal law enforcement partners while protecting our sovereignty and ensuring the safety of our community, our employees and our people.”
Ombimindwaa’s $15.5 million building opened on the shores of Lower Red Lake in October 2023, after securing $5.5 million from the state Legislature in 2020.
As part of the BIA’s Tiwahe Initiative, Red Lake began receiving state and federal dollars directly in 2021 to establish welfare programming with a focus on tribal culture and tradition. This removed the fiscal responsibility of out-of-home placement and ICWA oversight from Beltrami County, which was facing fiscal insolvency due to the increasing costs of placing children into foster care.
Cheri Goodwin is Ombimindwaa’s executive director and has led Red Lake's family and child welfare programming since 2015.
Requests for comment from Red Lake officials, including Goodwin, were not returned as of Friday morning.
This is a developing story.
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Events this week include a food truck festival in Virginia, a fern walk at Itasca State Park and an open house at Ripple River Gallery near Deerwood. -
Plus: Fosston Schools accept garden bounties to fill gap from lost program. -
Because of low free-and-reduced lunch numbers, the Fosston school district no longer qualifies for a fresh fruits and vegetables program for elementary students.
