Nebraska is stepping into the national spotlight as it prepares to open a new immigration detention center in the small farming community of McCook. The facility, already dubbed the "Cornhusker Clink," is part of a sweeping effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to expand the infrastructure required for increasing deportations across the United States. The move, announced by Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen on August 19, 2025, has ignited both political controversy and public protest, reflecting the deep divisions over immigration policy in America today.
According to KOLN/Gray News, the Work Ethic Camp in McCook will soon be repurposed as a detention facility for people awaiting deportation and other immigration proceedings. Governor Pillen’s announcement came with a flurry of new state-federal partnerships designed to bolster enforcement of federal immigration laws. The plan includes the involvement of the Nebraska National Guard and the Nebraska State Patrol, both of which will provide support to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials operating in the state.
About 20 Nebraska National Guard soldiers are slated to begin training the week of August 20, 2025. Once trained, they’ll be deployed after Labor Day to ICE offices in Omaha, Grand Island, and North Platte. Their role? Providing administrative, clerical, and logistical support to ICE agents as they carry out enforcement actions. The agreement for National Guard support is set to last through November 15, 2025, but could be extended if necessary.
Governor Pillen emphasized the rationale behind these moves, stating, “This is about keeping Nebraskans – and Americans across our country – safe.” He added, “We want President Trump to know that Nebraska is supportive and grateful for his ongoing, critical work with Secretary Noem to arrest and deport criminal, illegal aliens.” Pillen’s words were echoed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who praised the partnership and underscored the federal government’s goal of expanding detention capacity. “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,” Noem said in a statement released on August 19, 2025.
The expansion of the detention center is not just a local affair. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the McCook facility will add 280 beds, contributing to the 80,000 detention beds the federal government is seeking to establish under the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill. The funding for these expansions comes directly from this legislation, which aims to ramp up the capacity for holding individuals accused of being in the country illegally.
Under the agreement with ICE, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services will house detainees at the Work Ethic Camp for up to 365 days, with a longer, three-year contract currently under negotiation. The facility, which previously held 200 inmates, will be modified to accommodate up to 300 detainees who are classified as minimal to low risk. The 186 inmates currently residing at the Work Ethic Camp will be relocated to other correctional facilities across the state in the coming weeks, though officials have not yet specified when ICE will begin transferring detainees into the new center.
The Nebraska State Patrol is also preparing to play a more direct role in immigration enforcement. According to Col. Bryan Waugh, one trooper or investigator from each of Nebraska’s six troops will undergo a week of specialized training with ICE officials. These six officers will then assist ICE agents with apprehensions, joining a national cohort of roughly 300 law enforcement officers who have received similar training. Waugh believes the overall impact on the state patrol’s regular operations will be minimal.
Nebraska’s actions are part of a broader national trend. The Trump administration is rapidly expanding detention facilities across the country to keep pace with the growing number of immigrants being detained. According to Associated Press reporting, more than 56,000 immigrants were being held in ICE facilities as of June 2025, the highest number since 2019. Recent additions to the detention system include the "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Florida Everglades, which opened last month and can hold up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tents. Florida is also preparing to open a second facility, "Deportation Depot," with an initial 1,300 beds and potential for expansion. In Indiana, a planned 1,000-bed center called "Speedway Slammer" has also drawn significant attention—and backlash—from local communities.
Back in Nebraska, the announcement of the Cornhusker Clink has sparked a wave of protest and criticism. On August 20, 2025, demonstrators gathered outside the governor’s office in Lincoln, holding signs with messages like "No Nazi Nebraska" and "ICE = Gestapo," according to Associated Press. Protesters, including Maghie Miller-Jenkins of Lincoln, voiced their concerns that the detention center would make Nebraska less safe and argued that the state should prioritize issues like child hunger and homelessness instead. "Nebraska having a concentration camp here is inherently more dangerous for everyone in Nebraska," Miller-Jenkins said, adding, "This state has numerous things they could focus on that would benefit the constituents."
Political leaders have also weighed in. Nebraska state Senator Megan Hunt, an independent, criticized what she described as a lack of transparency from the governor’s office. In a video posted to social media, Hunt noted her unfulfilled requests for emails and records related to the detention center plans and encouraged Nebraskans to support local immigrant rights groups. She cautioned that any legislative response would be delayed until next year and would require substantial support from lawmakers.
Immigrant advocacy organizations have been quick to condemn the new policy. Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit focused on social justice, responded to Governor Pillen’s announcement by stating, “This is not who we are. Nebraska is a state that welcomes our neighbors and values the contributions of local moms, dads, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. Nebraskans do not want us to be known as a state that separates families and locks up and detains members of our communities... Nebraskans want policy change, not punishment.”
For supporters of the new detention center, the move is seen as a necessary step to ensure public safety and support federal immigration enforcement. Opponents, however, view it as a departure from Nebraska’s values and a dangerous expansion of detention infrastructure that risks harming families and communities. The debate over the Cornhusker Clink is likely to continue, reflecting broader national tensions over immigration policy and enforcement.
As Nebraska readies the Cornhusker Clink for its first detainees, the state finds itself at the center of a contentious national conversation—one that is unlikely to quiet down any time soon.
