Many NANA shareholders have opposed the corporation’s contracts with immigrant detention centers. These shareholders say the work contradicts core Iñupiaq values and harms the company’s integrity.
NANA, a regional Alaska Native corporation based in Northwest Alaska, owns Akima, a principal federal contractor. Akima and its subsidiaries account for nearly 80% of NANA’s revenue, which totaled $2.8 billion in 2024.
One of Akima’s subsidiaries, Akima Infrastructure Protection, secured a $163 million contract in 2023 to run a migrant detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. The contract sparked a backlash among NANA shareholders, especially after the Guardian reported civil rights concerns at other Akima-run centers.
According to the reports, audits flagged violations at Florida and New York facilities. One audit found guards used chokeholds and pepper spray on non-threatening detainees in Miami. Another center in Buffalo faced complaints over the forceful treatment of hunger strikers.
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, a former NANA board member, helped organize a Facebook survey to gauge shareholder sentiments. The anonymous survey collected responses from 102 shareholders, and most opposed any contracts involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Nearly half of the respondents didn’t know Akima ran detention centers until they saw the survey. Schaeffer says the lack of communication from NANA’s leadership frustrates shareholders. Despite raising similar concerns in 2018, she said leadership has yet to provide answers or make changes.
Another survey organizer, Kat Napaaqtuk Milligan-McClellan, raised similar concerns, stating she urged NANA years ago to avoid ICE contracts. While some respondents supported Akima’s federal work, others called the contracts unethical.
Several describe the centers as incompatible with Iñupiaq values like dignity and respect. Milligan-McClellan says she wants the corporation to cut ties with ICE. Tension builds as shareholders oppose ICE contracts, demanding transparency, accountability, and alignment with their cultural values.
This news article was originally published by Anchorage Daily News.
