National data illuminates gaps in state officials’ promises on so-called ‘Cornhusker Clink’

, Neb. —

New federal immigration facility data reveals gaps in promises from the state.

KETV NewsWatch 7 covered extensively the push from state leaders to detain people who are in the country illegally, including the transformation of a Nebraska Corrections facility into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

READ MORE: Nebraska’s ‘Cornhusker Clink’ still under capacity as construction continues

We’re investigating capacity numbers and how many detainees are considered a threat.

“ICE is here to focus on criminals,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in August 2025. “They’re here to focus on people that have come in in the last years and have done criminal activity.”

In a July 2026 snapshot, ICE found that 40 percent of McCook detainees are not a threat to society.

Federal immigration officials define this further as people with no criminal convictions, which contradicts state officials’ prior statements and promises.

KETV asked Gov. Pillen for comment but did not receive a response.

“I’m kind of surprised at that number. I thought the number would be higher,” Omaha immigration attorney Atziri Valadez Campos said. “I thought they would almost be at capacity by now.”

Valadez Campos was shocked to learn what KETV Investigates discovered in the new ICE data from July 2026.

It shows demographics of seven facilities that take detainees in Nebraska, like the Work Ethic Camp, which was converted into a federal detention center in McCook last year.

“That’s exclusively for ICE detainees,” Valadez Campos said. “These smaller jails hold people that the sheriff picks up, that police pick up, but they’re all sent there [detention center in McCook].”

ICE categorized the data into threat levels, which includes a column for those considered not a threat or have no criminal convictions.

We crunched Nebraska facilities’ data and found 38 percent of detainees in all facilities are not considered a threat.

“By ICE’s own admission, there is a significant population of immigrants being detained that have no criminal convictions,” ACLU Nebraska’s staff attorney Grant Friedman said. “This is just not showing what their rhetoric is, which they are claiming that they are detaining the worst of the worst, going after violent criminals and even looking at the data they collected, that’s just not true.”

Friedman said the advocacy group works with clients in the McCook detention facility.

“We’re now in a situation where I’m not surprised that this is where we land, because there hasn’t been the clear kind of forethought going on into this,” he said.

The data reveals that, in July, the average daily population in the McCook facility was 123.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services director Rob Jefferys said earlier this year, “1st of July to get to that 300 capacity. That’s when we will see those annual dividends.”

In a statement to KETV, NDCS said, “The WEC Detention Facility currently has a capacity of 200 people, and construction is underway to increase that capacity to 300. While there have been some delays, we anticipate the construction will be completed this summer.”

Friedman said he is concerned state funding is being used to keep people detained who aren’t considered a threat.

“Not only our time, clients’ time, but looking at our state and federal attorneys who are having to defend the actions of ICE in these instances,” Friedman said.

When state officials and ICE reached an agreement over the McCook facility, they said it would generate $14.2 million annually for the state. So far, it’s generated $8.8 million since January. That’s on pace with projections.

Once the McCook facility reaches capacity, ICE will give Nebraska $2.4 million per month.

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