“Montana’s Tribal communities are ground zero for this destruction”
U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke at a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the need to support law enforcement in Indian Country as they combat the devastating impact of the fentanyl crisis and crime on Native American communities.
Watch Daines’ opening remarks HERE.
“Each time I meet with Tribal leaders from Montana, law enforcement is their top priority. Indian Country is in a crisis. Tribal leaders I have spoken with have told me they feel like they are at war. Multiple reservations in Montana have declared a state of emergency in response to the massive influx of fentanyl and meth flowing in from the Southern border. Cartel members are operating with impunity on reservations, imbedding themselves in the community and exploiting the lack of law enforcement resources and jurisdictional gaps in Indian Country. According the Montana Attorney General’s Office, fentanyl seizures are up 11,000 percent in the state since 2019. Montana’s Tribal communities are ground zero for this destruction.”
Daines then pressed Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland on the lack of proper funding for Tribal law enforcement agencies. Watch HERE.