LINCOLN — About 150 protesters gathered Friday outside the Nebraska Governor’s Mansion to oppose Gov. Jim Pillen’s plan to convert the McCook Work Ethic Camp into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.
State Sen. Margo Juarez of Omaha told demonstrators she would “be stronger” to defend her immigrant community. She criticized the Trump administration’s mass deportation drive, calling ICE raids in Omaha “political stunts to create fear.”
Pillen defended the project, saying, “Government’s most important job is to keep us safe,” while his office dismissed opposition as “politically motivated.” Four of Nebraska’s five Electoral College votes went to Trump in 2024.
The new facility is part of a broader national push to expand migrant detention, even as recent polling shows a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration. Pastor Rebecca Hjelle-Penner said the plan reflects anger toward neighbors, not safety: “That would break my heart to think that people would be so angry … they would decide it’s worth doing this to each other.”
Advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed reported a petition with about 12,000 signatures opposing the detention center.
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