McCook Work Ethic Camp will be utilized for detention of individuals accused of immigration violations as part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE officials conducted a final walk-through inspection this week, and the facility was approved for use.
According to a press release sent out Thursday, final security upgrades at the WEC are expected to be completed over the next few days.
In the release, Governor Jim Pillen said coordination with DHS and ICE is ongoing to determine a timeline for receiving detainees.
A lawsuit filed last week seeking to halt the conversion of the work camp into a detention center could create a setback for the project’s timeline.
The lawsuit, filed by more than a dozen McCook residents and a former state senator, argues that the governor does not have the authority over the state’s penal institutions and that no public building can be changed from the purpose for which an appropriation was made.
A hearing on a request for a preliminary injunction is set to take place Friday in McCook.
