Brazil began deploying the National Public Security Force to Ituna/Itatá after more than 500 people entered the territory, broke gates and signs and established camps. The 180-day authorization assigns security support for operations led by Indigenous agency Funai.
The land is home to the voluntarily isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people. Intrusion risks forced contact, disease, violence and disruption of hunting and movement; Funai therefore withheld schedules and tactics for safety.
The dispute escalated after Pará created the Bacajaí Environmental Protection Area in August, allowing private property, homes and cattle on land that completely overlaps the federal Indigenous territory. The federal government says the state law is invalid there.
A Mongabay investigation linked the fast-tracked law and coordinated social-media advocacy to public legitimation of the invasion. Fire alerts inside Ituna/Itatá rose from zero in August to 23 by October 13.
A court ordered security within 48 hours on August 26, but federal authorization came on October 29 and was published November 3. The previous National Force mandate had expired in July amid disagreement over state authorization.
The force does not replace Funai or set protection priorities. Funai retains command, monitoring and logistics, while security personnel support field operations; performance requires actual removal of camps, fewer fires and no contact with the isolated group.
The 180 days are an emergency window, not a permanent settlement. Brazil must resolve the legal overlap, restore posts, investigate organizers and maintain remote and ground surveillance after troops leave.
