Alaska’s correctional facilities have recently taken in 40 immigration detainees from Outside, marking a significant development under an agreement between the state and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC), which oversees the state’s jails and prisons, confirmed the transfer of approximately 40 male detainees. This information was shared by Deputy Commissioner April Wilkerson in an email on Monday.
According to Wilkerson, ICE reached out to Alaska officials to facilitate this transfer. However, details regarding the origins of the detainees remain unclear. The group of 40 is disproportionately larger than the 11 individuals taken into ICE custody in Alaska facilities this year as of the end of May.
Additional information about the specifics of the detention, including the exact locations of the detainees within Alaska’s jails or prisons, the circumstances surrounding their arrival, and the history of the transfer deal, also remains vague. Wilkerson characterized the arrangement as a longstanding collaboration meant to support federal operations, assuring that it would not impact the management of DOC’s existing inmate population.
As of Monday, the DOC reported being at 82.6% of its overall capacity of 5,921 beds. While both jails and prisons are part of a unified state system, occupancy rates in individual facilities have not been disclosed.
Wilkerson indicated that the detainees are expected to remain in Alaska for approximately one month. The DOC will receive $223.70 per day for each individual in federal immigration custody, under the terms of the contract. If the detainees stay for the anticipated 30 days, Alaska could earn roughly $270,000 from this agreement.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, reports of increased immigration enforcement, including raids and mass deportations, have surfaced nationwide. ICE operations in Anchorage began in February, contributing to the heightened activities in Alaska.
On Monday, a regional ICE spokesperson did not respond to inquiries from the Daily News regarding the detainee transfers.
An immigration attorney in Anchorage, Margaret Stock, pointed out that detaining immigrants in Alaska could be quite expensive for the Department of Homeland Security, the governing body of ICE. The costs include flying individuals to Alaska, further adding to the expense.
Stock noted that typically, there is a preference to transfer detainees from Alaska to facilities in the Lower 48 states as swiftly as possible to cut costs.
Mara Kimmel from the ACLU of Alaska expressed concerns over the current state of Alaska’s jails, describing them as overcrowded and understaffed.
Nicolás Olano, another immigration attorney based in Anchorage, criticized the conditions at the Anchorage jail complex, where most ICE detainees have been housed in the past. He compared the treatment of detainees with that at the nearest ICE facility in Tacoma, which he claimed offered significantly better conditions.
Olano highlighted that in Tacoma, detainees have access to recreational space and are not confined to cells continuously, unlike the situation at the Anchorage jail complex where outdoor recreation time is notably lacking.
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