Nebraska senators call for public briefing on proposed ICE facility in McCook

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Several Nebraska senators are requesting a public briefing to address the proposed conversion of the McCook Work Ethic Camp (WEC) into an immigration detention facility operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Senators Machaela Cavanaugh and Ashlei Spivey, members of the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, emphasized that the decision to repurpose WEC raises major fiscal and legal questions that remain unanswered despite repeated requests for transparency. Records related to the project have either been denied or heavily redacted, leaving both legislators and the public in the dark.

“This is a project with enormous implications for Nebraska taxpayers and state resources. The Legislature has a constitutional obligation to ensure fiscal integrity and transparency before a single additional public dollar is committed,” Cavanaugh said.

In their letter to Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Rob Clements, the lawmakers outlined key areas of concern requiring immediate answers:

• Contracts and legal authority: The status of any agreements with DHS/ICE and the state’s legal authority to repurpose a correctional facility for federal immigration detention.
• Staffing and resources: Plans for hiring and training, as well as impacts on current state employees, including behavioral health practitioners and recreation specialists.
• Fiscal costs and reimbursements: Comprehensive estimates of state costs for conversion, operations, healthcare, security and transportation, along with details of any federal reimbursements.
• Timeline and oversight: Milestones for conversion, operation and how expenditures will be tracked within state appropriations.

The senators stressed that decisions of this magnitude must not proceed behind closed doors. They called on the Appropriations Committee to schedule a public briefing with the Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Correctional Services as soon as possible.

“Nebraskans deserve to know the costs, the contracts and the consequences of this decision. The Appropriations Committee must hold a public briefing immediately to bring these details into the light,” Spivey said.