Kansas Native American tribe in turmoil over deal to design ICE facilities | Kansas
A Native American tribe in Kansas is facing criticism from other tribal groups after its economic development subsidiary received a $29.9 million federal contract from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to design potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities.
development unit Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation He signed the contract to design the detention facilities in October, prompting criticism that the tribal group, which was uprooted from the Great Lakes region in the 1830s to reserve land north of Topeka, Kansas, was itself benefiting from forced removals under the Trump administration.
Inside video explanation Tribal chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, who was released Friday, confirmed that he is a subsidiary of KPB Services. Prairie Band LLCThe country’s economic arm had signed the contract and apologized for the “concern, disappointment and confusion” it had caused. “We are currently evaluating all options for exiting this contract. We immediately engaged with legal counsel and the process is still ongoing,” he said.
“We know that our reservations in India are the government’s first attempts at detention centers,” Rupnick added. “So we have to ask ourselves why we participate in something that reflects the harm and trauma that was once inflicted on our people.”
The statement came after the 4,500-member tribe said it had fired economic development leaders who brokered the deal. Ray Rice, 74, said he and other tribe members were caught off guard by the agreement and said, “We are now known throughout the country as traitors and traitors to another race.” he told the Associated Press.
Carole Cadue-Blackwood, a Prairie Band Potawatomi descendant and an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, hopes the contract will expire. She is part of the fight against the opening of an ICE detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas, and works at a social service agency for Native Americans.
“I absolutely do not believe this is happening,” he said.
In a statement Tuesday, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and Prairie Band LLC acknowledged “non-compliance” with the principles of the DHS contract and “will ensure that any future commitments are clearly aligned with our values and mission.”
It also raises questions about why the Potawatomi’s development subsidy was chosen for a major government contract without having to compete for the job. Sole source contracts over $30 million require additional justification under federal contracting rules.
KPB Services was registered in April by Prairie Band LLC vice president Ernest Woodward, a former naval officer and member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma who describes himself as the “go-to” consultant for tribes and affiliates seeking federal contracts.
The company has reportedly positioned itself to pursue government contracts. Native News Online reported. Other tribal groups, including Alaska Native corporations, have also signed contracts worth millions, including for detention facility operations, security services and border patrol support.
Earlier this year the Guardian reported that Nana
The Regional Corporation, one of 13 regional Alaska Native corporations, was contracted through a subsidiary to operate detention facilities at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba.
Native American companies also staff or support ICE detention facilities near Miami, upstate New York, El Paso, Texas, and San Pedro, California. According to the Turtle Talk website. An LLC owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama also has a multimillion-dollar contract with ICE to provide support for a detention facility in Alabama.
A. Tribal Resources Guide A document released by DHS describes tribal nations as “critical partners in our homeland security efforts, and DHS’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs promotes an integrated national approach to homeland security by coordinating and enhancing federal interaction with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.”
The regulations provide significant revenue to Native American tribes, which are under increasing economic pressure from declining federal funding, declining reservation visitors, high inflation and competition from online gambling.
However, the economic opportunities offered to tribes are not always compatible with cultural values. Native Americans have also been detained by ICE during immigration sweeps; including last month when actor Elaine Miles said she was stopped by ICE agents from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon who claimed her ID “appeared to be fake.”
In January, Navajo Nation chief Buu Nygren said his office had received reports that tribal members “had negative and sometimes traumatic experiences with federal agents targeting undocumented immigrants in the Southwest.”
Nygren recommended that Navajo people carry government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, other form of picture identification, or a certificate of Indian blood (CIB). “It’s best to be prepared,” he said. “It’s very important to have state ID, and if you have a CIB, that can provide an additional layer of assurance.”
Rupnick said in his statement that Prairie Band Potawatomi’s development company risked losing future government contracts by withdrawing from the agreement with DHS, but that it was a necessary precaution.
“Veterans like me understand that working with the government sometimes puts you in positions that go against your values,” Rupnick said. “Our LLC also works with the government, but unlike the military, we can say no. Saying no has consequences, including the potential for fewer contracts in the future, but above all else, we must be guided by our values.”
Associated Press contributed reporting
