Our short documentary, produced by Kayla Shea, about the rise of America's ICE towns is out on YouTube today: youtube.com/watch?v=0pV9... It tells two stories -- the story of a man detained by ICE and the story of the community that says they financially depend on detaining him.

NEW: An Alaska Native corp has become an ICE detention giant, managing or doing security for a half dozen facilities. But back in Alaska, Iñupiaq shareholders are raising alarm over the work being done in their name. w/ @pollymosendz.bsky.social Mike Smith @kotznews.bsky.social bit.ly/4772GVu

Tom Homan said he was recused from anything to do with government contracts. Turns out he wasn't. He played a role in the process to move immigration detention contracts through the Defense Department www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... With @racheladhe.bsky.social and @sooophie.bsky.social

ICE has tapped 41 companies to compete for some of the $45 billion earmarked for a massive expansion of immigration detention space, including at least 9 that offer tent facilities w/ @sooophie.bsky.social and @folaak.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

NEW w/ @folaak.bsky.social: ICE is moving to DNA-test families being targeted for deportation with a new contract worth up to $25 million www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

"We started with the day he was taken into ICE custody and he just explained in detail what he saw, heard, smelled, felt at each stage in his detention." — @racheladhe.bsky.social on reporting the @bloomberglp.bsky.social story, "Addicted to ICE." niemanstoryboard.org/2025/05/30/b... #longreads

"We wanted to show how there are people very far from Washington, D.C., who are making decisions that have a dramatic impact on how the White House's immigration policy is carried out on the ground." @racheladhe.bsky.social niemanstoryboard.org/2025/05/30/b...

ADDICTED TO ICE: A growing number of communities are convinced their economies depend on ICE contracts that keep private jails open for immigration detention -- no matter what happens inside w/ @pollymosendz.bsky.social @folaak.bsky.social @elenamejia.bsky.social & many others bloom.bg/4j28jqp

This is a great story, the kind of great story you can do through using the data released by The Deportation Data Project: deportationdata.org Every data reporter covering immigration should get familiar with the data here

NEW: @bloomberg.com analysis of +13 years of ICE detentions shows immigrants transferred to the South and SW from interior US at unprecedented rates. Reducing the odds of winning their cases. w/ @elenamejia.bsky.social @racheladhe.bsky.social @pollymosendz.bsky.social bloom.bg/43am95w

First post on BlueSky to share this survey for people who have experience with immigration contractors in the US! We're talking companies that build tents, operate deportation flights, provide security, etc. We want to hear from you: bmedia.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...