Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced that people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are expected to begin arriving at the former McCook Work Ethic Camp sometime this week.
In August Pillen made an announcement that the state will partner with the Department of Homeland Security to operate an immigration detention facility. The Work Ethic Camp in McCook was converted into a detention facility to hold individuals accused of immigration violations.
Last month a contract was made public and signed by DHS and the state of Nebraska. The agreement signed in September states that Nebraska will be paid about $2.5 million per month until 2027 to house up to 300 immigration detainees.
The state will also receive $5.7 million reimbursement for modifications made to the Work Ethic Camp.
Governor Pillen confirmed a two-phased plan for housing detainees at the McCook facility would begin this week. The first phase aims to house up to 200 detainees over the two to three weeks.
Pillen says work on the second phase is ongoing, and it doesn’t have an exact timeline.
An ongoing lawsuit has challenged the governor’s power to convert the state facility to house federal detainees.
