House panel questions Alaska DOC on housing of ICE detainees at Anchorage Correctional Complex

Representative V. Gray (Chair) opened a June 20, 2025, House Judiciary Committee informational hearing in Anchorage to examine the status of immigration detainees held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex (ACC) under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The committee heard from Alaska Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner Jen Winkleman, attorneys who have met with detainees, and an ACLU immigration fellow. Winkleman said DOC has had a contract with federal authorities since 2013 and described the current agreement as “effective until it is terminated in writing.” She told the committee ICE contacted ACC on June 4 to ask how many people the facility could safely house; 41 detainees arrived on June 8 and, as of the hearing, 35 remained in DOC custody after some transfers out.

Why the hearing matters: the committee framed the discussion as a financial and legal risk to Alaska and as a question about whether a state prison can meet standards and detainees’ needs when used to hold people in civil immigration custody rather than a federal ICE facility.

Most important facts

- DOC contract and payments: Winkleman said the DOC–federal contract predates the current administration and that Alaska bills the federal government a daily cost‑of‑care (per‑diem) rate for housed detainees; committee testimony recorded the federal per‑diem cited as about $223 per day. Winkleman said DOC seeks to recover costs through that rate and has asked ICE for medical abstracts and medication lists before transfers.

- Numbers, timing and selection: DOC leadership told the committee ICE asked on June 4 how many detainees ACC could…