Montana
Montana ranchers push for mandatory beef labeling as imported meat increases
NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA — As changes to U.S. meat labeling rules took effect earlier this year, some Montana ranchers hoped new “Product of USA” regulations would help clarify the origin of beef sold in grocery stores. But with an increase in imported lean beef trimmings being blended into ground beef products, producers say the need for transparency has become even more urgent.
Madison Collier reports – watch the video here:
Country Of Origin Labeling debate continues
In January, updated “Product of USA” labeling rules went into effect that allow beef processors to use that designation under certain conditions.
- Check our previous coverage here
Now, some producers across Montana are adding their voices to a renewed push for mandatory country-of-origin labeling, arguing that voluntary or conditional labeling doesn’t go far enough to ensure traceability in a changing market. In January, members of the Montana Country-of-Origin Labeling Coalition held a press conference in Billings calling on Congress to reinstate mandatory COOL and restore “fair and transparent markets” for producers and consumers alike.
- Learn more about the coalition’s efforts here
Mandatory COOL was repealed in 2015 after the World Trade Organization ruled that it discriminated against Canada and Mexico’s livestock exports.
Since then, beef labeling has been largely voluntary, leaving no federal requirement to disclose where cattle were born or raised.
At the heart of the debate is the question of how consumers can know where the beef they buy was raised and processed. With more imported beef entering the U.S. market, producers say the current labeling framework allows ground beef products to mix domestic and foreign beef without clear identification.
The western district director of the Montana Cattlemen’s Association and a producer out of Fairfield, Tim Brunner, has been among those emphasizing the uncertainty that creates for consumers.
“Now would be a great time to implement COOL, to prove and show people what you’re buying,” Brunner said. “The consumer’s going to pay the same price for beef, except now it may have more blended foreign beef in it, and they won’t even know.”
Proponents of mandatory labeling argue that it would give consumers confidence in what they’re purchasing and help U.S. producers distinguish their products in a competitive global market.
While the Montana Stockgrowers Association is not a part of the Montana COOL Coalition, Leslie Robinson, the president of the association, echoed that point, saying traceability isn’t just about marketing, it’s about safety and trust.
“We raise a very healthy, safe product in the United States, and traceability is important,” Robinson said. “Consumers should be able to know where their beef comes from and have confidence in the standards behind it.”
Currently, the labeling landscape includes both voluntary and conditional designations, but no nationwide requirement that beef products state their country of origin. That was the case before the repeal of M-COOL nearly a decade ago, and the coalition argues that turning back the clock on mandatory labeling could provide needed clarity as market dynamics shift.
As debates continue around beef imports, labeling standards, and trade policy, these Montana producers maintain that clearer rules will benefit both ranchers and consumers by making the supply chain more transparent from pasture to plate.
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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