OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — No formal agreement has been signed to convert a remote state prison in Nebraska into the latest immigration detention center for President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown, more than three weeks since the governor announced the plan and as lawmakers and nearby residents grow increasingly skeptical.
Corrections officials insist the facility could start housing hundreds of male detainees next month, with classrooms and other spaces at the McCook Work Ethic Camp retrofitted for beds. However, lawmakers briefed last week by state officials said they got few concrete answers about cost, staffing and oversight.
“More unanswered questions than answered questions” is how state Sen. Wendy DeBoer characterized the situation after the briefing.
The city officials in McCook were caught off guard in mid-August when Republican Gov. Jim Pillen announced that the minimum-security prison in rural southwest Nebraska would serve as a Midwest hub for immigration detainees, an initiative dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink” by Pillen and federal officials. This mirrors the naming conventions of other detention centers across the country, like “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida.
“The city leaders were given absolutely no choice in the matter,” said Mike O’Dell, publisher of the local newspaper, the McCook Gazette.
McCook, with a population of around 7,000, is in a region that voted for Trump in the 2024 election by nearly 80%, and many residents likely support the crackdown, according to O’Dell. However, the community has grown accustomed to the camp’s low-level offenders participating in local work for years. “People here have gotten to know them in many cases,” O’Dell added.
The Work Ethic Camp has been operational since 2001 and currently houses about 155 inmates in programs designed to support their transition back into society. While legislators expressed concerns that Pillen made the decision hastily, especially given the state’s overcrowded prison system, many questions remain unanswered.
During a recent meeting with lawmakers, officials from the governor’s office indicated it was the state that approached federal authorities to convert the facility to house between 200 and 300 detainees. The prison, initially designed for 100, would necessitate a considerable increase in capacity, raising safety and security concerns among state and local officials.
Pillen maintains that the law grants him the authority for this move, yet he, alongside state prison officials, declined to attend a critical hearing addressing these issues, instead focusing on ensuring that the facility’s conversion costs would be covered by the federal government.
As the debate unfolds, a letter signed by 13 lawmakers questions whether such a unilateral decision by the governor requires legislative approval, emphasizing the urgency in acquiring clarity and safety assurances for the local community.
Corrections officials insist the facility could start housing hundreds of male detainees next month, with classrooms and other spaces at the McCook Work Ethic Camp retrofitted for beds. However, lawmakers briefed last week by state officials said they got few concrete answers about cost, staffing and oversight.
“More unanswered questions than answered questions” is how state Sen. Wendy DeBoer characterized the situation after the briefing.
The city officials in McCook were caught off guard in mid-August when Republican Gov. Jim Pillen announced that the minimum-security prison in rural southwest Nebraska would serve as a Midwest hub for immigration detainees, an initiative dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink” by Pillen and federal officials. This mirrors the naming conventions of other detention centers across the country, like “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida.
“The city leaders were given absolutely no choice in the matter,” said Mike O’Dell, publisher of the local newspaper, the McCook Gazette.
McCook, with a population of around 7,000, is in a region that voted for Trump in the 2024 election by nearly 80%, and many residents likely support the crackdown, according to O’Dell. However, the community has grown accustomed to the camp’s low-level offenders participating in local work for years. “People here have gotten to know them in many cases,” O’Dell added.
The Work Ethic Camp has been operational since 2001 and currently houses about 155 inmates in programs designed to support their transition back into society. While legislators expressed concerns that Pillen made the decision hastily, especially given the state’s overcrowded prison system, many questions remain unanswered.
During a recent meeting with lawmakers, officials from the governor’s office indicated it was the state that approached federal authorities to convert the facility to house between 200 and 300 detainees. The prison, initially designed for 100, would necessitate a considerable increase in capacity, raising safety and security concerns among state and local officials.
Pillen maintains that the law grants him the authority for this move, yet he, alongside state prison officials, declined to attend a critical hearing addressing these issues, instead focusing on ensuring that the facility’s conversion costs would be covered by the federal government.
As the debate unfolds, a letter signed by 13 lawmakers questions whether such a unilateral decision by the governor requires legislative approval, emphasizing the urgency in acquiring clarity and safety assurances for the local community.
