Montana
Montana Ag: Pheasant Program at State Prison Creates Unique Opportunities
DEER LODGE — Just under a dozen inmates at the Montana State Prison spend their days working on the Pheasant Ranch, combining two Montana traditions: agriculture and hunting.
The program offers well-behaved inmates the opportunity to raise pheasants from hatchery to release, providing both valuable life skills and a sense of accomplishment that’s often missing behind bars.
(WATCH: Montana Ag: Pheasant Program at State Prison Creates Unique Opportunities)
Montana Ag: Pheasant Program at State Prison Creates Unique Opportunities
“Feels good to have done a hard day’s work and actually be able to feel like you’ve accomplished something instead of just sitting in a cell day long,” said Mark McGuire.
MTN News
The work provides more than just a daily routine. It offers a chance to contribute something meaningful to the community.
“Gives you a sense of pride, especially when you see the birds going out for other people to enjoy,” said Bill Dunmire.
The Montana Correctional Enterprises programs provide jobs like the ones in the pheasant operation. Other opportunities include range cattle, dairy and dairy processing, irrigation, and fire crew. Altogether, up to 85 inmates can work while serving time.
MTN News
Nicholas McMaster, a ranch supervisor, said he finds it rewarding to watch the personal growth of the men in the program.
“Well, some of it is just learning how to get along with each other, you know? A lot of guys are here because maybe they couldn’t get along on the outside. I really try to work on them with that, and I’ve got a really good crew right now. They have fun and they work hard and they do what’s needed and then some,” McMaster said.
The inmates told MTN that prison can be a lonely place, but the pheasant program provides opportunities to care for the birds from the hatchery, all the way to their eventual release into Montana’s wild areas.
For some inmates, the experience is training them for goals beyond their sentence.
“For someone that aspires to open up his own dog rescue someday, it’s really been an experience on learning how to raise these animals,” McGuire said.
The pheasants are raised in collaboration with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in their “Roosters for Recruitment” initiative to provide hunting opportunities for hunters, especially youth hunters. Thousands were transported from the prison and released this fall to about 30 different sites across the Treasure State.
Montana Department of Corrections
The prison ranch operates year-round, even after hunting season begins. Workers learn additional life skills, including maintenance, carpentry and welding.
National studies show a 7% reduction in recidivism for those who learn a new skill, and a 14% reduction when applying that skill to a job while in prison.
“It makes a world of difference to our morale and how we affect each other,” said Thomas Williams.
Strict biosecurity measures are in place to protect the flock from diseases like avian flu, limiting access to authorized personnel only.
Feeding, watering and preventing disease are among the daily requirements for maintaining a healthy pheasant flock. Some inmates had no prior knowledge of caring for the birds, but now they know better than just about anyone else in the state.
Montana Department of Corrections
Since pheasants started hatching in Deer Lodge, there have been 85,000 birds released across the state, with an estimated 60,000 set to be released next year, along with the addition of the flight pens at Pine Hills
With the program continuing to expand each year, more opportunities for incarcerated individuals will be created, while also furthering support for Montana’s hunting community.
Inmates said they take satisfaction in knowing their work benefits others.
“When I hear about people hunting the pheasants we raise. It just puts joy into my heart,” Williams said.
Montana
Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.
This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.
The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.
“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:
We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.
Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”
Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.
According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.
One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.
At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.
In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.
Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.
ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.
Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.
We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.
The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.
Issues: Immigration
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