The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding its immigration detention infrastructure with the construction of the ‘Cornhusker Clink,’ a new facility in southwest Nebraska, as part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration enforcement strategy. This center is one of several new immigration detention sites being developed nationwide to increase the capacity of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation or facing deportation proceedings. The project is part of a larger plan that includes facilities such as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida and ‘Speedway Slammer’ in Indiana, which have been described as part of a coordinated network to manage immigration enforcement across the country.
Located approximately 200 miles from the state capital, Lincoln, the Cornhusker Clink is named to reflect the region’s agricultural and cultural heritage. It will operate alongside the Work Ethic Camp in McCook, which has been in use since 2001 and initially functioned as a state prison before being converted to ICE use. The new 200-bed facility will double the detention capacity at the McCook site, which currently houses 280 individuals. According to officials, the expansion is intended to improve ICE’s ability to manage the flow of undocumented immigrants in the region and ensure that those identified as potential threats to national security or public safety are held until their deportation proceeds.
This expansion comes as part of Trump’s broader immigration enforcement initiative, which is supported by increased funding from the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ a legislative proposal introduced by the administration to fund the construction of 80,000 new detention beds for ICE across the United States. The new facilities, such as the ‘Cornhusker Clink’ and the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida, have been criticized by civil liberties organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has compared these facilities to WWII Japanese internment camps, arguing that the measures infringe on the rights of individuals and represent a form of racial discrimination.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a Republican and former governor of South Dakota, has endorsed the initiative, noting its benefits for national security and public safety. She emphasized that the ‘Cornhusker Clink’ will provide a critical resource for immigration enforcement in Nebraska. In a statement, Noem warned that undocumented individuals in the region could be placed at the new facility, urging them to avoid arrest and self-deport using the CBP Home App. The Nebraska Governor, Jim Pillen, has also expressed support for the initiative, stating that the state is proud to assist federal authorities in protecting the homeland by housing criminal undocumented aliens who are present in local communities.
The expansion of ICE detention facilities has sparked significant debate across the political spectrum, with critics arguing that the measures are both costly and ineffective. Some have pointed out that, despite the increase in detention capacity, the number of ICE arrests has declined in recent months, suggesting that the administration’s strategy may be encountering challenges. In response, Trump’s administration has continued to push for the construction of additional facilities, emphasizing the need to remove the ‘worst of the worst’ from the United States through enhanced enforcement efforts.
As the ‘Cornhusker Clink’ moves closer to operational readiness, it is part of a broader network of detention sites being developed by federal authorities to manage immigration enforcement. These facilities, including the East Montana Detention Center at Fort Bliss in Texas, which will be capable of housing 5,000 migrants, represent a significant increase in the capacity of the U.S. government to detain individuals who have entered the country without legal authorization. With the continued expansion of these facilities, the administration remains committed to its goal of enhancing immigration enforcement and maintaining national security through increased detention and deportation capacities.