OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A minimum-security state prison in the remote southwest corner of Nebraska has been reconfigured to serve as a federal immigration detention center, as confirmed by Governor Jim Pillen on Thursday.
The facility, located in McCook, a small city of about 7,000 amidst vast prairies between Denver and Omaha, began accepting detainees earlier this week. As of Thursday, the prison housed between 50 and 60 immigrant detainees, with expectations to reach full capacity of 200 by Thanksgiving, according to Governor Pillen.
Plans for a second phase of expansion are already underway, aiming to add another 100 beds, raising total capacity to 300 by the start of the new year, the governor stated.
Previously, the McCook facility functioned as the McCook Work Ethic Camp, housing around 180 non-violent offenders who participated in rehabilitation programs. However, those inmates have been relocated, with many sent to community corrections facilities in Omaha and Lincoln or transferred to other state prisons.
Residents and officials in McCook expressed surprise when Governor Pillen announced the change in August, positioning the prison for federal use amid a broader governmental crackdown on immigration policies initiated by former President Donald Trump.
Labelled the “Cornhusker Clink” by officials, this facility follows a trend seen with nicknamed detention centers such as “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot.”
However, concerns have been raised about overcrowding within Nebraska's prison system, one of the nation’s most understaffed. A legal challenge has been mounted against Governor Pillen and the state's prison director, claiming that only the Legislature has the constitutional authority to repurpose state facilities for such uses.
As of mid-September, nearly 60,000 individuals were held in immigration detention across the U.S., a significant surge attributed to restrictive immigration policies.
