Kansas Native American tribe in turmoil over deal to design ICE facilities | Kansas

A Kansas Native American tribe is facing criticism from other tribal groups after its economic development subsidiary was awarded a $29.9 million federal contract from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to design possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers.

The Prairie Band Development Entity Potawatomi Nation signed the contract to design the detention centers in October, sparking criticism that the tribal group, which was uprooted from the Great Lakes region to reservation lands north of Topeka, Kansas, in the 1830s, was itself benefiting from forced removals under the Trump administration.

In a video statement released Friday, tribal Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick confirmed that KPB Services — a subsidiary of Prairie Band LLC, the nation’s economic arm — had signed the contract and apologized for the “concern, frustration and confusion” it had caused. “At this time we are exploring all options regarding the termination of this contract. We immediately met with legal counsel and the process is still ongoing,” he said.

“We know that our Indian reservations were the government’s first attempts to create detention centers,” Rupnick added. “So we must ask ourselves why we would ever participate in something that reflects the harm and trauma once caused to our people. »

The statement comes after the tribe, which has 4,500 members, said it had fired economic development leaders who negotiated the deal. “We are now known throughout the country as traitors and traitors to another race of people,” Ray Rice, a 74-year-old who said he and other tribal members were blindsided by the deal, told the Associated Press.

Carole Cadue-Blackwood, who has Prairie Band Potawatomi ancestry and is an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, hopes the contract will expire. She helped fight the opening of an ICE detention center in Leavenworth, Kansas, and works for a social services agency for Native Americans.

“I’m just in disbelief that this happened,” she said.

In a statement released Tuesday, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and Prairie Band LLC acknowledged that the DHS contract “is not consistent” with its principles and that they would “ensure that all future commitments clearly align with our values ​​and mission.”

Questions are also being raised about why the Potawatomi Development Grant was selected for a major government contract without having to compete for the work. Sole-source contracts greater than $30 million require additional justification under federal procurement rules.

KPB Services was registered in April by Prairie Band LLC Executive Vice President Ernest Woodward, a former naval officer and member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma who describes himself as the go-to advisor to tribes and affiliates seeking federal contracts.

The company is reportedly positioning itself to pursue government contracts, Native News Online reported. Other tribal groups, including Alaska Native corporations, have also held contracts worth millions, including for operating detention centers, custodial services and border patrol support.

Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that the Nana
Regional Corporation, one of 13 regional Alaska Native corporations, had been hired through a subsidiary to manage the detention centers at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.

Native American corporations also employ or support ICE detention centers near Miami, upstate New York, El Paso, Texas, and San Pedro, California, according to the website Turtle Talk. An LLC owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama also has a multimillion-dollar contract with ICE to provide support to a detention center in Alabama.

A Tribal Resources Guide issued by DHS describes tribal nations as “critical partners in our homeland security efforts, and the DHS Office of Intergovernmental Affairs promotes an integrated national approach to homeland security by coordinating and advancing federal interaction with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments.”

These agreements bring significant revenue to Native American tribes who are under increased economic pressure due to decreased federal funding, reduced visitor bookings, high inflation and competition from online gambling.

But the economic opportunities offered to tribes do not always correspond to cultural values. Native Americans have also been stopped by ICE during immigration stops, including last month when actress Elaine Miles said she was stopped by ICE agents who claimed her Confederated Tribes ID card from the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon “looked fake.”

In January, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said his office had received reports that tribal members had had “negative, and sometimes traumatic, experiences with federal agents targeting undocumented immigrants in the Southwest.”

Nygren advised Navajos to carry state-issued identification, such as a driver’s license, another photo ID or a so-called Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). “It’s better to be prepared,” he said. “Having your state ID card is crucial, and if you have a CIB, it can provide an added layer of reassurance.”

In his statement, Rupnick said the Potawatomi Prairie Band Development Corporation risked losing future government contracts by withdrawing from the agreement with DHS, but that it was a necessary step.

“Those who are 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 possibility of reducing the number of future contracts, but our values ​​must guide us above all.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report