Senators say plans for Nebraska ICE facility are still preliminary, with no contract yet

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska executive branch officials held a briefing Thursday with the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

They talked further about potentially converting the Work Ethic Camp in McCook into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.

According to two state senators, there are a few things standing in the way.

SEE ALSO: ‘Cornhusker Clink’: Nebraska’s Work Ethic Camp will become ICE detention center

“There is no agreement yet” between ICE and the Department of Corrections, Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington said. “That is the preliminary understanding.”

If an agreement were to come, it would happen within about the next 60 days.

It would be a one-year contract, with an option for renewal.

SEE ALSO: Lincoln bishop says McCook ICE facility should not hold those ‘simply seeking a better life’

One of DeBoer’s concerns is overcrowding.

The Work Ethic Camp is a 200-bed facility and is already near capacity with 168 inmates.

The Department of Homeland Security wants to expand the building up to 300 beds.

“Because we are operating over the designed capacity, I do have serious concerns about overcrowding,” DeBoer said.

SEE ALSO: ‘We don’t know what we don’t know’: Impact of ‘Cornhusker Clink’ on McCook is unclear

Sen. Victor Rountree of Bellevue wanted to know if the state will pay for this move, and he said that’s not yet clear.

“One of our concerns for our constituents, and for the state is if this will cost the state,” he said. “We’ll have to see when the contract comes back, but it seems positive on the financial side.”

Gov. Jim Pillen has previously said the facility will be federally funded.

SEE ALSO: ‘Hard to comprehend’: Some in McCook protest ‘Cornhusker Clink’ announcement

Other things to note: Work Ethic Camp employees are expected to remain state employees, and the current inmates will be moved to different prisons before immigration detainees arrive.

It’s not clear if this facility would hold only men, only women or both. But it will hold only adults and only non-violent offenders.

DeBoer suggested that the Work Ethic Camp is too valuable to replace.

“It clearly has a different mission,” Deboer said. “I don’t think we should lose the fact that when we take WEC offline as a state correctional facility, we lose that mission.”

A public hearing will be held on the proposal at the Nebraska State Capitol next Friday, Sept 12.