“Our prisons are already poorly managed, overcrowded, and plagued by substandard living conditions,” a Democratic state senator said. “No one should be subjected to such inhumane treatment.”
A Nebraska judge has denied a request for a temporary restraining order, which, if approved, would have prevented the state from converting a so-called “Work Ethic Camp” in McCook to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center.
According to KSNB Local-4, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Nebraska Appleseed.
In its complaint, Nebraska Appleseed asked the court to block the state from converting the Work Ethic Camp in McCook into a new immigration detention center. The lawsuit sought both a temporary restraining order against the conversion as well as a temporary injunction.
If the requests had been approved, Nebraska would have been required to halt the conversion almost immediately, pending the outcome of settlement negotiations or civil trial.
The plaintiffs named in the complaint include former Nebraska state Sen. DiAnna Schimek and more than a dozen McCook residents.
In a Thursday-night hearing, Red Willow County District Court Judge Patrick Heng declined to revisit his rejection of the request for a temporary restraining order. However, Heng did schedule a hearing for October 24 to hear arguments for a temporary injunction.
The Nebraska Examiner notes that McCook’s Work Ethic Camp, formerly a rehabilitative center, will still be managed by the state even if it is used for federal immigration enforcement purposes. In a statement, Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Rob Jeffreys emphasized that “homeland security starts at home.”
“We’re in the business of corrections, so it’s just another population for us to manage,” Jeffreys said in an August statement. “We provide the services. We provide adequate, humane care.”
Jeffreys indicated that, as the facility prepares for its conversion, the 186 persons currently housed at the Work Ethic Camp will be moved within one to two months, though specific details about rehousing were not yet decided.
Some Nebraska lawmakers have voiced skepticism of the plan.
State Sen. Terrell McKinney, a North Omaha-based Democrat who has served on the Judiciary Committee for at least five years, said he strongly opposes the new plan for the McCook facility.
“Our prisons are already poorly managed, overcrowded, and plagued by substandard living conditions,” he said shortly after the plan was announced. “No one should be subjected to such inhumane treatment.”
James Goodard, the program senior director at Nebraska Appleseed, noted that some McCook-area residents are concerned that letting ICE set up shop could have consequences for the community.
“They feel that the repurposing of the work ethic camp for non-citizen detention creates a toxic community environment,” he said. “They also were really clear that they feel they have not had a chance to have their voices heard, and that the process has just not been transparent.”
Sources
Judge refuses temporary order to stop McCook ICE detention center
What to know about Nebraska-ICE plan to retool McCook Work Ethic Camp
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