Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen told local media on November 3 that the 280-bed immigration detention facility nicknamed “Cornhusker Clink” will begin receiving ICE detainees “by the end of the week,” after a federal judge lifted the last procedural hurdle on October 27.
The center repurposes the state’s Work Ethic Camp in McCook under a three-year agreement with DHS. Officials say the site will ease pressure on county jails and allow swifter transfers from Border Patrol custody, but civil-rights groups and some state legislators decry what they call “prison expansion” for migrants far from the border.
![Nebraska’s controversial ‘Cornhusker Clink’ ICE detention center set to open within days]()
For corporate mobility programs, the opening signals heightened interior enforcement in the Midwest. Attorneys expect more Notice-to-Appear issuances in Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas, increasing the urgency of I-9 audits and work-authorization reviews. Companies relying on seasonal agriculture or meat-packing labor should verify that E-Verify cases are current and that translation resources are available for employees who receive ICE paperwork.
The facility’s launch also rekindles debate over public-private detention contracts and the administration’s plan to expand capacity to 116,000 beds nationwide, as outlined in July’s spending bill. Mobility stakeholders should watch whether additional interior facilities appear in key employment hubs.
The center repurposes the state’s Work Ethic Camp in McCook under a three-year agreement with DHS. Officials say the site will ease pressure on county jails and allow swifter transfers from Border Patrol custody, but civil-rights groups and some state legislators decry what they call “prison expansion” for migrants far from the border.
For corporate mobility programs, the opening signals heightened interior enforcement in the Midwest. Attorneys expect more Notice-to-Appear issuances in Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas, increasing the urgency of I-9 audits and work-authorization reviews. Companies relying on seasonal agriculture or meat-packing labor should verify that E-Verify cases are current and that translation resources are available for employees who receive ICE paperwork.
The facility’s launch also rekindles debate over public-private detention contracts and the administration’s plan to expand capacity to 116,000 beds nationwide, as outlined in July’s spending bill. Mobility stakeholders should watch whether additional interior facilities appear in key employment hubs.
