A Nebraska senator says she was unlawfully denied entry to the McCook Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
Senator Machaela Cavanaugh says she was denied access when she was attempting to visit the facility in November.
According to Nebraska state law, members of the legislature are allowed to visit any facility in the Department of Corrections Services at any time. Rob Jefferys, Director of Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services, told Cavanaugh in an email that she has to follow federal ICE standards and provide adequate notice for a visit.
Cavanaugh is weighing legal action after the legislature’s executive board and oversight committee failed to act on her request.
Cavanaugh told Nebraska Public Media, “I am consulting with attorneys to seek legal avenues of my own, assuming that the legislature continues to take no action on behalf of ourselves.”
The email from Jefferys says the law does not override security and safety protocols of correction facilities.