Montana Attorney General addresses Indigenous missing persons crisis

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance regarding the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP).

Knudsen reported that Indigenous individuals accounted for 31 percent of all reported missing persons cases in Montana in 2025, despite representing approximately six percent of the state's population. The data also indicated that 48 percent of missing persons in the state were male and 52 percent were female, with 40 percent of missing Indigenous persons being male.

During the hearing, Knudsen highlighted significant jurisdictional hurdles, noting that state law enforcement lacks authority on tribal lands without a request from a federal agency. Knudsen stated, “My hands are tied,” and emphasized that meaningful change requires congressional action to address these coordination challenges between tribal, federal, and local law enforcement.