OKMULGEE, Okla. — A new report from the Government Accountability Office is shining a light on the status of Freedmen across the country.
“We are known today really as the watchdog of Congress,” Anna Maria Ortiz is the Director of Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Congress tasked the agency to provide unbiased information on the status of Freedmen across the country.
“For many Freedmen descendants their tribal heritage is really part of their daily life,” said Ortiz.
As Muscogee Creek Nation Freedmen continue their fight for access to citizenship and Cherokee Nation Freedmen enjoy the full privileges of their tribe.
The new report shows:
- The possible number of Freedmen descendants
- Status of Freedmen across the 5 civilized tribes
- Court cases
- Barriers to access
This chart shows the potential number of Freedmen across the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee and Seminole Nations.
“It’s a very big number,” said Ortiz. “150,000 to 400,000 is what we estimated.”
Ortiz said across the 5 tribes, Freedmen can enroll in the Cherokee Nation with full rights and privileges and the Seminole Nation where they’re citizens but not members and can’t access all the benefits.
2 News has been covering the Muscogee Creek Nation citizenship journey, where the MCN Supreme Court said Freedmen were eligible for citizenship in July 2025, but so far, no Freedmen have gotten their cards. For Ortiz, she says the goal of the report is simple.
“It’s trying to establish the lay of the land so that we can have some conversations,” said Ortiz.
Read the full report here.
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