- Details
- By Brian Edwards
- Native Contracting
The Oneida Nation Business Committee said it adopted a resolution requiring all tribal divisions, entities and corporations to disengage from contracts involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, following the discovery that a tribally owned joint venture had secured two sole-source contract awards with the federal agency.
The resolution comes after Oneida-Stantec JV, LLC was awarded a $3.8 million contract on Dec. 27 and a $2.6 million contract on Sept. 19 for ICE-related work, according to government contract databases. The Business Committee learned of the awards two days before issuing a Dec. 31 press release announcing the directive.
Oneida-Stantec JV is a partnership between Oneida Environmental, a subsidiary of the tribally owned Oneida Engineering Science Construction Group, and Stantec, an Edmonton, Canada-based engineering firm. Oneida Environmental operates as an SBA-certified 8(a) contractor performing natural and cultural resource assessment, engineering and inspection services for federal facilities.
The $3.8 million contract provides construction and design quality assurance services through Aug. 28, 2026, for an ICE facility in El Paso, Texas. The $2.6 million contract covers facility condition assessments and property inventory information through September 2028.
“Passing this resolution is an initial step to implementing clarity about the Nation's expectations that our employees, representatives, businesses, and tribal corporations align with our core values,” Oneida Chairman Tehassi Hill said in a statement. “The Oneida Business Committee will consider other appropriate steps needed to prevent future misalignment with balanced measures using our Good Mind Principles.”
The Business Committee met with OESC leadership after discovering the contracts to discuss how the joint venture's involvement in ICE detention facility development conflicts with tribal values and shareholder expectations, according to the statement. OESC leadership will meet to consider the tribe's concerns.
The Oneida decision follows a similar withdrawal by Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation earlier this month. Prairie Band Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick announced Dec. 18 that the tribe had exited all third-party interests connected to federal immigration enforcement work.
The Prairie Band withdrawal followed controversy over a $29.9 million contract awarded Oct. 30 to KPB Services LLC, a subsidiary of the tribe's economic development corporation, for due diligence services and concept design work for ICE processing and detention facilities. The tribe's tribal council terminated senior executives of Prairie Band LLC in connection with the contract.
In a video statement, Rupnick drew parallels between immigration detention and the historical treatment of Native peoples, stating, “We know our Indian reservations were the government's first attempts at detention centers,” per prior Tribal Business News reporting.
The withdrawals occur as Native-owned contractors face increased federal scrutiny of government contracting programs. The SBA ordered all 8(a) firms to submit detailed financial records by Jan. 5 as part of a program-wide audit, though the deadline was later extended to Jan. 19 amid confusion with the request guidelines.
