Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, announced Tuesday that an immigration detention center will be established in the state’s southwest farming region as President Donald Trump‘s administration accelerates its expansion of facilities to hold immigrants awaiting deportation.
Pillen said he and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had agreed to convert an existing inmate work camp into a site for people detained in immigration proceedings.
“This is about keeping Nebraskans – and Americans across our country – safe,” Pillen said in a statement.
Noem called the facility “Cornhusker Clink” in a statement.
“Thanks to Governor Pillen for his partnership to help remove the worst of the worst out of our country. If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Nebraska’s Cornhusker Clink. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App,” the DHS secretary said.
The move comes amid a nationwide buildout of detention infrastructure. In June, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities held more than 56,000 immigrants, the highest number since 2019. New and planned facilities include the Florida Everglades’ remote “Alligator Alcatraz,” which can hold up to 3,000 detainees in tent structures, as well as “Deportation Depot” in north Florida, a proposed facility in Mason, Tennessee, and the 1,000-bed “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana.
Some of the new centers have already drawn lawsuits and community backlash over conditions, environmental compliance and transparency. In Nebraska, state Sen. Megan Hunt, an independent, blasted what she described as a lack of openness from the governor and said local immigrant communities are being unfairly targeted.
“The No. 1 thing we need to do is protect our neighbors, protect the people in our communities who are being targeted by these horrible people, these horrible organizations that are making choices to lock up, detain, disappear our neighbors and families and friends,” Hunt said in a video posted to social media.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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