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Which DOJ report about missing Native Americans was removed and when did the president order its removal?
Executive summary
The report removed was the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report — a congressionally mandated accounting of missing and murdered Indigenous people — which was posted November 1, 2023 and later taken down from federal sites [1] [2]. Reporting says the removal occurred in early 2025 amid a broader “website purge” of materials the administration said conflicted with President Trump’s executive order on “Defending Women” and guidance about DEI content; outlets and commissioners say the report was gone by March–June 2025 and that members noticed its removal in June 2025 [2] [3] [4].
1. What exactly was removed — the Not Invisible Act Commission report
The document at issue is the Not Invisible Act Commission’s final report, a product of bipartisan legislation intended to catalog and propose actions on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP); the commission’s report was released November 1, 2023 per the Justice Department’s materials about tribal MMIP efforts [1]. Independent outlets and tribal advocates identify that final report as the item that was taken down from DOJ and other federal websites [2] [3].
2. When did removal first become public and what timing do outlets give?
Multiple news organizations and commissioners flagged the report’s disappearance in spring and early summer 2025. The Guardian’s reporting on March 20, 2025 describes the final report’s page being removed and places the take-down in the context of a series of removals that began earlier in 2025 [2]. Other outlets and congressional correspondence show commissioners and lawmakers were calling for restoration and noticed removal by June 2025 — for example, members asked DOJ in a June 9 letter to restore the report, indicating it had been gone by that date [4]. Local and regional outlets also report the FBI/DOJ page had been removed “nearly 300 days” earlier in November 2025 stories that reference an earlier 2025 removal timeline; those pieces characterise the removal as having occurred in the first half of 2025 [5] [3].
3. Who ordered or justified the removal — administration cites compliance with an executive order
Reporting quotes DOJ statements that the report was removed to comply with Office of Personnel Management guidance implementing President Trump’s Executive Order “Defending Women” (also described in reporting as an anti-DEI directive), with the department framing the action as ensuring compliance with that guidance [3] [6]. Newsweek and Mississippi Today relay DOJ spokesperson claims that the take-down was tied to the executive order and OPM guidance [7] [6]. The White House reportedly declined to directly answer whether MMIP issues qualify as “DEI” and directed questions to DOJ [5] [3].
4. What do critics — commissioners, senators, tribal leaders — say about the move?
Commission members, advocates and some lawmakers describe the removal as harmful and politically motivated. Commissioners called it “a really big slap in the face” and urged DOJ to restore the Not Invisible Act report, saying removing federally produced data obstructs justice and harms efforts to address the MMIP crisis [4]. Tribal advocates and groups told The Guardian the report’s disappearance was part of a larger purge that undermines access to vital resources and historic records; some organizations are preserving copies externally [2].
5. The administration’s framing vs. affected communities’ framing
The administration’s public explanation, as reported, centers on following an executive order and OPM guidance restricting DEI-related content on federal pages [3] [6]. A contrasting argument from senators and tribal leaders stresses that the Not Invisible Act arises from bipartisan law and addresses public-safety and sovereignty issues, not voluntary “DEI” programming — they say classifying tribal concerns as DEI mischaracterizes tribal nations as merely an identity-management or diversity issue rather than political sovereigns [3] [4].
6. What remains publicly accessible and what are limits of current reporting
Advocates and some nonprofits reportedly retain copies of the Not Invisible Act Commission report and have made them available outside federal servers [2]. The Justice Department’s archived tribal/MMIP pages indicate the commission’s report was produced and submitted [1], but current reporting does not provide a verbatim administration order signed by the president explicitly naming the report for removal; news outlets attribute the action to compliance with the executive order and OPM guidance as explained by DOJ spokespeople [3] [6]. Available sources do not mention a specific dated White House order that names the Not Invisible Act report for removal [3] [6] [2].
7. Why this matters — stakes and next steps reported
Journalists and advocates emphasize that removing a congressionally mandated report leaves families, tribes, and researchers without an official federal reference and undermines transparency on a crisis described as “epidemic” in lawmakers’ language; several members of Congress formally requested restoration [4] [2]. Restorations, legal challenges, or congressional oversight are paths mentioned in coverage as likely follow-ups, but outcomes and timelines are not fully reported in the pieces provided [4] [2].
If you want, I can compile the direct DOJ and commission language into a timeline of public statements (with source citations) or list where archived copies of the Not Invisible Act report are still hosted per reporting.