() A new immigration detention center in Nebraska will “make a big difference for our country,” Gov. Jim Pillen told .
The facility, known as the “Cornhusker Clink,” will provide 280 beds for federal immigration officials at an existing prison work camp in McCook, Nebraska. Current inmates at the prison will be moved elsewhere, and the facility is set to open within the next few months.
“We’re incredibly proud of our team and the work we’ve accomplished, as well as the new initiative we’re starting,” said Pillen, a Republican, during the Thursday broadcast of “Live.”
Nebraska joins a growing number of states establishing centers to support the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. Other sites are located in the Florida Everglades, near Indianapolis, and at Fort Bliss close to El Paso, Texas.
“We’ll be located in the Central Plains,” noted Pillen. “Nebraska, situated in the heart of the United States, will be strategically positioned to significantly impact the large population near the Rocky Mountains’ foothills.”
Pillen also pointed to nearby McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport as a perk, allowing Nebraskan officials to move detainees in “an expedient way.”
There has been some local opposition to the establishment, which involves a partnership between the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Homeland Security.
A group of about six protesters gathered in the hallway outside the governor’s office last week, holding signs with messages like “No Nazi Nebraska” and “ICE = Gestapo,” as reported by the Associated Press.
In a video posted to social media, independent state Sen. Megan Hunt blasted a lack of transparency about plans for a detention center, citing her unfulfilled request to the governor and executive branch for emails and other records.
When asked about these transparency concerns, Pillen told the center has been a long time in the making, with all possibilities considered: “We don’t talk about it until it’s ready to roll.”
“It’s an accredited facility. We have a team of 84 people in the Department of Corrections that are outstanding in what they do,” he added. “We’ll have them more trained up. That facility is phenomenally secure, and we can move quickly.”
The expansion is part of President Donald Trump’s recently passed “big, beautiful” tax cuts and spending package, which provided funding for 80,000 new beds to be used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
