Nebraska Legislature committee to hold hearing on planned McCook ICE facility

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A legislative hearing was announced Tuesday on the plan to turn the Work Ethic Camp into an immigration detention facility.

The Nebraska Legislature’s Urban Affairs Committee has scheduled a public hearing for 9 a.m. Sept. 12 at the Capitol.

In a post on social media, Sen. Megan Hunt said lawmakers will look at potential building code violations at the McCook facility.

“This facility was designed for 125 people,” Hunt wrote. “Packing in 300 raises serious questions about safety, legality and accountability — questions Nebraskans deserve answers to.”

When state officials announced the plan to let Immigration and Customs Enforcement take over the Work Ethic Camp, it had 186 inmates.

They said it can hold about 200 currently and will be expanded to fit 300.

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