(NewsNation) — Attorney General Austin Knudsen called Mexican drug cartels Montana’s number one safety threat and that he would advocate for them to be “designated terrorist orgs.”

Once limited to cities along the southern border, the influence of Mexican drug cartels has spread to smaller American towns across the country, including several in the state of Montana.

Robberies, aggravated assaults and rapes have risen statewide, per state-reported crime data, and Knudsen thinks the rise in Montana crime can be traced back to one place: Mexican drug cartels.

“I don’t have the authority to stop every vehicle that comes into the state. That’s not a legal option that I have,” Knudsen told host Chris Cuomo Friday night on “CUOMO.” “We know where these drugs are coming from,” affirming that 100% of the methamphetamine and fentanyl drugs on the streets are coming from Mexican cartels.

NewsNation’s Robert Sherman shared an exclusive report on the crisis from once-peaceful Billings, Montana.

Watch Knudsen’s discussion in the video player above.