Oneida Nation Reservation sign. PC: Fox 11 Online
ONEIDA (WTAQ-WLUK) — Tribal leaders are speaking out about a joint venture business under the Oneida Nation receiving contracts to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Oneida-Stantec JV LLC was awarded a $3.9 million contract last Friday and a $2.6 million contract Sept. 19, according to an online database, to work with the federal government on construction of ICE detention facilities.
Native Americans across the country have voiced opposition to these types of deals, saying Indian tribes shouldn’t profit from President Donald Trump’s immigration plans, pointing out their ancestors were once the subject of government-forced removals.
On Wednesday, the Oneida Nation Business Committee released a statement criticizing OESC’s decision to enter into these agreements.
The Oneida Business Committee and OESC leadership discussed the Oneida Nation’s values, shareholder expectations and the ramifications this joint venture’s role in the development of an ICE detention facility may have on those core values.
The Oneida Business Committee condemns OESC’s action to enter a contract for ICE facilities and we believe such actions hinder teaching our values to the next seven generations of its employees, representatives or corporations if we do not abide by those values today. OESC leadership will meet to consider the Nation’s concerns. Looking forward, and to provide clarity of the Nation’s position, the Oneida Business Committee adopted a resolution indicating the Nation requires its divisions, entities and tribal corporations to disengage from grants, agreements or contracts that involve Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Chairman Tehassi Hill added, “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. The Oneida Business Committee will consider other appropriate steps needed to prevent future misalignment with balanced measure using our Good Mind Principles.”
OESC stands for Oneida ESC Group, LLC, which was “formed in 2012 as a holding company to house subsidiaries to conduct business with the federal government, state and municipal governments and commercial and industrial customers throughout the world”, according to a 2024 quarterly report. It is an independent corporate entity owned by the Oneida Nation.
Online documents show Oneida-Stantec is based in Milwaukee and was formed in 2024 to receive government contracts in the environmental market. Stantec dubs itself as a “global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture and environmental consulting” with six Wisconsin offices, including in De Pere and Sturgeon Bay.
The $3.9 million contract awarded last week is to perform construction and design quality assurance services through Aug. 28, 2026, to support ICE’s office of asset and facility management on a project in El Paso, Texas, according to the online database. The $2.6 million contract is to provide facility condition assessments and property inventory information for ICE over a three-year period ending in September 2028.
In addition to the two recent ICE contracts, Oneida-Stantec has received six other contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense since September 2024, totaling more than $27.6 million.
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