The former president and CEO of an Oneida Nation group of small businesses has been ousted over one company’s contracts with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Thursday, the Oneida ESC Group announced Matt Kunstman had been appointed as interim president and CEO effective Jan. 5, replacing former leader Jeff House.
The move came after the Oneida Business Committee passed a resolution to fire House following his approval in December of a nearly $3.8 million contract between one of the group’s companies and ICE. The company, Oneida-Stantec JV LLC, had previously been awarded a $2.6 million contract with ICE in September.
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An Oneida Nation spokesperson on Tuesday directed questions to Kunstman. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Under the deals, the company was set to provide engineering services and maintenance of government facilities. House had since taken steps to sever the December contract and apologized in a Jan. 2 video broadcast, saying he’s appalled by ICE activities.
“I know now it was a huge mistake,” House said. “You may not agree or appreciate the decision, but I do want you to know that when I made the decision, the scope of work was really about inspecting facilities, making sure they’re up to code, making sure that they meet humane standards, making sure that it’s properly engineered.”
In an open letter, House said the group never intended to support or advance ICE operations.
Tribal leaders faced backlash from the deals. Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill said during the Jan. 2 broadcast that he and the Oneida Business Committee were unaware of the contract and weren’t involved in the day-to-day operations of tribal companies.
“I also stand strong in my words and conviction that the business venture does not align with the nation’s values, our culture and who we are as Haudenosaunee people, and it is something the committee would have never entertained had it been made aware of this,” Hill said.
Rebecca Webster, an Oneida Nation citizen, said she was in disbelief when she heard about the contracts. She said ICE’s actions do not seem to be operating within the parameters of the law.
“For anybody affiliated with the Oneida Nation to enter into a contract that would seemingly support what they’re doing … it runs contrary to the things that I believe in,” Webster said. “We shouldn’t do anything to support the current way ICE is handling our relatives and our community members.”
Webster, a former senior attorney for the Oneida Nation, said leaders had to carefully consider how to move forward to ensure separation between the corporations and tribal government to protect the tribe.
The Oneida Business Committee replaced all members of the board overseeing management of Oneida ESC Group and appointed Debra Powless as the board’s interim manager. She then appointed Kunstman to replace House.
“I am honored to be named Interim President/CEO and grateful for the trust placed in me,” Kunstman said in a statement.
The committee expects the group to review current and pending contracts with the federal government to ensure their alignment with the nation’s core values, and it passed a resolution requiring companies to incorporate them into corporate social responsibility policies.
House has said it shouldn’t cost the company any money to terminate the contract signed with ICE in December, and the tribe should be insulated from any potential lawsuits.
However, he noted it would be more difficult to cancel the earlier contract awarded in September since work had already been performed. House said it could mean the company may go out of business if the federal government finds it is in default of the contract.
House said the group’s companies have “thousands of contracts” with various other agencies. They include Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
He said the decision was motivated partially to promote humane treatment of ICE detainees, but also to grow revenues as the Trump administration has threatened to halt funding and audited contracts to its companies.
House said 80 percent of the group’s revenue comes from federal government contracts, and it made $177 million in revenue in fiscal year 2025.
Oneida Nation is not the only tribal nation to cancel contracts with ICE. In December, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick announced on YouTube that the nation had divested from a $29.9 million contract for concept design of ICE facilities.
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