Big Take
Big Take
Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
How Did an Alaska Native Corporation Become an ICE Detention Giant?
17 minutes Posted Oct 23, 2025 at 8:30 pm.
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Over the last decade, Nana Regional Corp. — an Alaska Native corporation based in a small community roughly 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle — has won contracts worth more than $1 billion to run and support ICE detention facilities around the US.

On today’s Big Take podcast, Bloomberg investigative reporter Polly Mosendz and KOTZ news director Desiree Hagen look into how a company that once focused on local Alaskan industries, like mining and hospitality, became an ICE detention giant — and why some shareholders are starting to push back.

This story was reported in collaboration with KOTZ and Alaska Public Media. KOTZ, a partner station of Alaska Public Media, has received donations from local businesses, including Nana, in the past.

Read more: Distant ICE Detention Centers Bring Money—and Anger—to an Alaska Native Community

Why Small Towns Are Hooked on ICE Detention

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