Nebraska to convert McCook camp to Cornhusker Clink detention center

Nebraska officials announced plans Tuesday to turn a rural minimum-security prison work camp into an immigration detention center in the state’s southwest, a move framed as part of a broader federal push to expand detention capacity for people awaiting deportation. The facility, to be named the Cornhusker Clink, would initially hold about 200 detainees with a planned expansion to 300. It will be run by the state of Nebraska but funded by the federal government, and officials say the site will be ready to receive detainees after the current inmates are relocated over the next one to two months.

The site is the McCook work camp, a remote facility located roughly 210 miles west of Lincoln. Nebraska’s governor said the arrangement would allow law enforcement to coordinate more closely with federal immigration authorities, with administrative and logistical support provided by the Nebraska National Guard, and troopers authorized to assist in arrests. The camp’s conversion aims to leverage an existing infrastructure, including proximity to a regional airport, to support a growing national network of detention centers.

Officials described the plan as a measure to keep communities safe...