Montana
Anti-immigration group organized Northwest Montana lawmakers' trip to southern border
Two Northwest Montana lawmakers toured the southern border in March with NumbersUSA, a self-described immigration reform group that organizations who track extremists say is tied to the racist founder of the modern anti-immigration movement.
State Reps. Steve Gunderson, R-Libby, and Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, were among a small group of Montana legislators to visit the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a trip organized by NumbersUSA. Both said they were unaware of NumbersUSA’s history or reputation.
NumbersUSA has often been described as an anti-immigrant group whose primary goal is pressuring elected officials to reject pro-immigration legislation and immigration reform, according to Stephen Piggot, a researcher and program director at the Western States Center, a Portland, Oregon-based group that tracks extremists.
“I have no issue with elected officials visiting the [southern border] … but for elected officials to accept an invite to tour the border with a group like NumbersUSA is deeply problematic,” said Piggot, who has spent the last 15 years keeping tabs on NumbersUSA.
The group was founded in 1996 by Roy Beck, who had very close ties to John Tanton, founder of the modern anti-immigration movement, Piggot said.
Described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as holding white nationalist beliefs, Tanton argued that a “European-American majority” is required to preserve American culture, according to the civil rights and racial justice nonprofit. Tanton, a Michigan-based ophthalmologist who died in 2019, spearheaded efforts through the group ProEnglish that opposed bilingual education and the translating of government documents into other languages.
Over time, Tanton created a network of immigration organizations, including the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Center for Immigration Studies. NumbersUSA was founded by Beck, whom Tanton had described as his “heir apparent,” Piggot said.
“[Tanton] certainly had a role in it some way of forming this organization,” Piggot said.
The three groups profoundly shaped the immigration debate in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“I still think [NumbersUSA is] influential, I would still consider them to be one of the three main anti-immigration groups on the Hill,” Piggot said.
When asked about the group’s history, Mitchell said he had “never heard of them.”
“I don’t agree with radical movements, ideas or ideals, be it ideas backed by liberal, white nationalism, black, brown, yellow or white people,” Gunderson said. “Illegal immigration is a cross-cultural American problem. I remain colorblind to ideals and movements but focus on the national issue of illegal immigration which remains illegal.”
NumbersUSA disputes how it is characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center and other extremist monitoring groups.
In an April opinion piece published by the Denver Post, NumbersUSA leaders argued it is a policy group with mainstream positions on immigration reform.
“This allegation would be laughable if it weren’t so serious,” wrote Leon Kolankiewicz, the scientific director of the group, in the piece.
According to Kolankiewicz, Beck founded NumbersUSA in 1996 to advocate for solutions proposed by Barbara Jordan, then-chair of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, who recommended scaling back legal immigration and cracking down on illegal immigration.
“The term ‘white supremacy’ should never be used around any of us, other than to state our firm opposition to the ideology,” Kolankiewicz wrote.
NumbersUSA also includes a page on its website dedicated to “No Immigrant Bashing,” which states that the group encourages Americans concerned about immigration to refrain from anger toward “the foreign-born who live among us.”
Piggot said that the history of the group, specifically its ties to Tanton and his racist rhetoric, cannot be erased. The group hasn’t “cleaned house,” Piggot said, and there isn’t much of a difference between what the group looked like and stood for 20 years ago to today.
Piggot encourages legislators and citizens to research groups addressing immigration to see where they came from.
“It’s totally fine to go down to the border, but you need to be thoughtful,” Piggot said.
FOLLOWING THE trip, both Gunderson and Mitchell expressed concern for what they saw in terms of border security, an influx of immigrants and a lack of federal action.
“There are problems that are actually present at both borders, the southern border being much more of a problem. Fentanyl, human trafficking, illegal immigrants … the same issues exist at both borders, it’s just a difference in magnitude for the southern border,” said Gunderson, reflecting on his trip.
Gunderson said he learned of the trip from other state legislators. Andrew Good, the NumberUSA’s director of state government relations, said that if enough people were interested they could arrange a tour. According to NumbersUSA, each legislator paid for their own trip. Good led the group.
Gunderson said he gained knowledge from other legislators about what can hopefully be done at a state level during his time at the border.
He said the effort that migrants made to cross the border left an impression on him.
“… That was the one thing that really struck me: Seeing people that are so aggressively doing whatever they have to do to get across the border. It’s the draw of the American dream,” he said. “But at the same time they are breaking our laws and destroying our heritage.”
The trip was the first of its kind, according to Good. The goal was to see the border, learn about its existing infrastructure and talk to people on the ground, he said. The group observed the border at the Yuma sector in Arizona and then traveled to the San Diego area.
“… The states are going to deal with any fallout from illegal immigration as long as illegal immigration [continues to] have significant costs or impacts,” Good said.
Mitchell, a two-term legislator up for re-election this year, stated that it was important for him to tour the southern border because of the “influx of fentanyl, crime, rapes, etc. that many of these illegal migrants are bringing to our state,” Mitchell said in a statement.
“I believe a country isn’t a country without a strong and secure border,” Mitchell said. “I wish I wouldn’t of had to go down to the border, but due to Joe Biden and the Democratic Party’s open border policies, I was left with no choice but to see it with my own eyes and reflect what I saw back to my constituents and the people of Montana.”
Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.
POCATELLO, Idaho — It will go down as a Forever Team, only the second in program history, the type that gets remembered by a number, by a year, by a season.
First, it was 2017, the team that won the Big Sky tournament title in Ogden, Utah, in just the program’s third year of existence, catching the fancy of Griz fans who love a winner.
Now, 2026 joins the short list, not necessarily for what it won but for how it took back a program, taking it from mediocrity to within a few plays of challenging for another tournament championship.
That journey, which had more rough patches than smooth ones early before becoming one that won’t be forgotten, came to an end Wednesday.
After rallying from a pair of four-run deficits to knock off No. 2 Northern Colorado 11-7, Montana, the No. 4 seed, fell to No. 3 Sacramento State 10-7 at the Big Sky Conference Championship.
The Hornets advance to face No. 1 Idaho State for a championship on Thursday while Montana leaves us with dueling emotions: ‘How fun was that?’ mixed with ‘How long until next season starts?’
That’s what Forever Teams do.
“The run they made throughout the course of Big Sky play and this tournament is something that will last forever,” said coach Stef Ewing, who took her program from eight wins in 2025 to 22 this season.
“It was a really special experience to be with this group and see all the things they accomplished and how many streaks and records they broke. Big Mama Bear is proud of them.”
Montana rode the right arm of Carah Sweet hard over the back half of the season, and the sophomore consistently delivered.
The Grizzlies looked again to Sweet in Pocatello, giving her the start against Weber State, then Idaho State, then Portland State, against whom she threw a complete game on Tuesday.
She got the start against Northern Colorado on Wednesday and faced four batters who went single, home run, double, home run. It wasn’t the desired outcome but it wasn’t surprising either.
The Grizzlies trailed 4-0 in the bottom of the first before they had even recorded an out.
“Carah was incredible this whole tournament. She pitched her heart out until her arm couldn’t go in a circle anymore,” said Ewing.
“We knew we were going to run her out there and see what we could get, with (Kaiana) Kong ready to go. It wasn’t a problem. We knew we could score some runs, too.”
It wasn’t that long ago that Montana fell behind at Weber State 6-0 and didn’t panic. Rather, the Grizzlies stuck to their game plan and above all else just believed. Final: Montana 11, Weber State 6.
Montana got a run back against the Bears in the top of the second on a JoJo Christiaens home run, then gave up another run in the bottom of the second to fall behind 5-1.
Anyone not in Montana’s dugout was likely thinking the same thing: uh-oh, this isn’t looking good. What was happening in the dugout was another story.
“The hitters were coming back and saying, we can hit this pitcher,” said Ewing. “The in-dugout conversations were incredible. There was no doubt we were going to get it done.
“The kids knew they were going to be fine. You just let them go do their thing and make the adjustments they need to make.”
Montana tied it with four runs in the third, on a Chloe Saxton sacrifice fly, on a Christiaens RBI double, on a two-run single by Mackenzie Bekofsky, then took the lead for good in the fourth.
Jessica Cherms, who put together Montana’s third four-hit game of the season against the Bears, tripled down the right-field line and Grace Lopez got her home with a ground-out.
It’s hard to say whether Northern Colorado was more shell-shocked by Montana’s counter-punch or the Bears’ inability to do much of anything against Kong, who replaced Sweet in the bottom of the first.
After the Bears went up 5-1, Kong allowed no hits in the third, no hits in the fourth, no hits in the fifth, no hits in the sixth. “She came in and was phenomenal,” said Ewing.
The death blow came in the top of the fifth, in the form of a three-run home run by Lopez that had Northern Colorado centerfielder KK Christie throwing her glove to the ground in frustration.
When Lopez emphatically stomped on home plate, it was the last of 10 straight runs for Montana that had the Grizzlies up 11-5.
Christie led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run and the Bears later added an RBI ground-out as Ewing went from Kong to Audri Elias to get the game’s final three outs.
It was the most runs scored by the Grizzlies against the Bears since 2017, Forever Teams finding common ground.
Lopez drove in four, the ninth time this season a Montana player has driven in as many. Christiaens had her fourth three-hit game of the season, Kong collected her sixth win.
And then there were only three left standing: Montana, Sacramento State and Idaho State, though the Bengals had the winners-bracket advantage of sitting and watching on Wednesday.
Montana’s fifth game of the tournament felt like the 10th round of a hard-fought fight. You knew the Grizzlies would keep swinging, but could they keep the fresher Hornets from doing the same thing?
“Our pitchers by that point had all thrown a lot,” said Ewing. “We were just trying to figure out who could get us some outs.”
Elias got the start and pitched herself both into and out of trouble in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with nobody out but only allowing one run, on a hit-by-pitch.
Montana scored once in the top of the first to go up 1-0, Lopez doubling, Saxton RBI singling, and left the bases loaded, as Sacramento State did in the bottom of the first.
Montana’s last lead of the game came in the top of the second, 2-1, and came in similar fashion, Lopez hitting a double, Saxton driving her in with a single.
Lopez would end her sophomore season, in which she hit .368, going 3 for 4. Saxton also would go 3 for 4 in her final game in a Montana uniform, the lone senior on this year’s team.
Montana walked four batters in the first two innings and hit another, allowing the Hornets to go up 4-1 while hitting three singles.
“The walks and hit-by-pitches were just crippling,” said Ewing. “We just gave them some runs.”
Sacramento State began pulling away from there, adding two in the fourth, one in the fifth, three in the sixth to go up 10-3.
But Forever Teams don’t just concede. Hailey Boer had a pinch-hit double and scored in the top of the sixth.
In the seventh, Bekofsky hit a two-run home run, Montana’s program-record 51st of the season. Then Brianna Gutierrez singled and Cherms doubled to left-center to bring up the top of the order.
Could they do it again? They could, almost. Lopez singled to center to drive in two but the game ended with her trying to get to third, striving to do just a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more.
“Love this team’s fight. They never stop playing until the final out. We made some mistakes but we just keep going. We made every swing count and every out count,” said Ewing.
Montana’s one and two hitters in the lineup had six hits. Four, five and six all had two. In between was Anna Cockhill who went 0 for 3 with three line-drive outs that Hornets will be feeling in the morning.
“They said they were going to come out here today and empty the tank, and they did,” said Ewing. “We came up short but it was a great day for Griz Softball and a great Big Sky tournament for Griz Softball.
“If some line drives fall, we could still be playing. It’s bittersweet that it’s over but an incredible run and incredible job by these kids.”
The first Forever Team, in 2017, showed what the Montana softball program is capable of. The next Forever Team rekindled that belief, with all those underclassmen carrying that torch forward.
“We talked from the beginning about changing this program,” said Ewing. “It started with these kids showing up every day and just doing it. They bought in and believed it.
“We have some great kids and some great leaders. I’m thankful for what they’ve done for this program. It hurts that it’s over but the future is bright.”
Camaree Uljua, Belgrade’s director of Public Works, said that the city will now advance to American Waterworks Association national conference in Washington D.C., but the victory comes with another valuable perk.
“We have a bit of a lighthearted rivalry with Bozeman and some of the bigger cities in the state,” Uljua said. “It’s kind of bragging rights.”
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 5, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 5 drawing
12-22-50-51-55, Mega Ball: 10
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 5 drawing
03-06-12-18, Bonus: 11
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 5 drawing
14-20-23-30-55, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
-
Massachusetts6 minutes agoEastern Mass. boys’ lacrosse: Players of the Week for April 29-May 5 – The Boston Globe
-
Minnesota12 minutes agoSan Antonio vs. Minnesota, Final Score: Spurs’ defense strangles Timberwolves, 133-95
-
Mississippi18 minutes agoMississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for May 6, 2026
-
Missouri24 minutes ago
Missouri Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 winning numbers for May 6, 2026
-
Montana30 minutes ago
Montana softball falls 1 win shy of playing for Big Sky championship
-
Nebraska36 minutes agoONE PRESS – POWERED BY THE NEBRASKA PRESS ASSOCIATION
-
Nevada42 minutes agoNew campaign helps fans find Nevada’s iconic movie, TV scenes
-
New Hampshire48 minutes agoANCA Endorses Rep. Chris Pappas for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire