Native American companies profit from detaining immigrants
Gen. Joe Stringham, who is hailed for his service in Vietnam and El Salvador.
In South Vietnam, Stringham is reported to have formed “a unique mercenary battalion” that became the subject of the John Wayne movie, “The Green Berets.” In the 1980s Stringham became the commander of the U.S. Military Group [military unit assigned to the embassy] in El Salvador and “trained and developed the Salvadoran Armed Forces,” and in recognition for his “bravery and meritorious service” he received El Salvador’s highest military decoration, “The Medal of Gold.” While General Stringham’s experience in the U.S. interventions in Vietnam and El Salvador may not prove especially relevant in immigrant detention, Doyon underlines its in-house military experience in securing security services contracts with the U.S. Army and Coast Guard.
Founded in 2003, Doyon Security Services has attempted to take advantage of new federal efforts to protect government infrastructure. In addition to DHS, the company has secured federal contracts with the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Alaska pipeline, and U.S. Navy.
Joint ventures and outsourcing
Immigrants arrested by ICE are often confused, understandably, about just who are their jailors — even within an ICE owned and operated detention center. The same is true for visitors who are met not by ICE personnel but by an outsourced workforce of clerical workers and security guards.
Being an immigrant in ICE custody gives one an inside look at the business of detention in America and also how prevalent and labyrinthine government outsourcing is.
In the case of the El Paso center, DHS issued a request for contracts for the operation of its detention center (including cell extractions, armed guards, in/out processing, armed escorts, vehicle fleet ownership, and feed services).
DHS awarded the $152 million contract to Doyon Ltd., a corporation that has no in-house experience in detention services. Barry writes that Doyon, though, has something better than experience. It has preference rights.
Preference gives Alaska Native Corporation a priority shot at getting federal contracts. Native status gets a corporation into the door, but a company like Doyon also needs a partner that can actually do the work.
An article in Alaska Business Monthly (Oct. 2004), titled “Native Corporations form Prosperous Joint Ventures: These Corporate Marriages Can Be Made in Heaven if Carefully Thought Out,” called the ANCs’ search for business partners “a corporate matchmaker’s dream.”
ANCs and other Native American Corporations have perfected the capitalist art of joint ventures and subcontracting. For its part, Doyon
