This page is information, not legal advice. Nebraska has no sanctuary cities and has actively pursued ICE cooperation since January 2025. The Glenn Valley Foods raid in Omaha on June 10, 2025, was the largest Nebraska worksite immigration raid since the current administration took office, detaining 76 workers. Nebraska opened the 'Cornhusker Clink' ICE detention center in McCook. The state's federal courts have seen an unprecedented wave of wrongful detention habeas petitions. Omaha's police department does not formally cooperate with ICE. Verify current conditions with the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (CIRA), the ACLU of Nebraska, or a licensed immigration attorney.
Nebraska has no sanctuary policies and has aligned itself fully with federal immigration enforcement priorities. Governor Jim Pillen signed Executive Order 25-01 on January 24, 2025, mandating full cooperation between Nebraska agencies and federal immigration enforcement, requiring notification of ICE about individuals in custody suspected of immigration violations, and encouraging all jails and law enforcement to enter formal 287(g) agreements. Nebraska converted a minimum-security state prison in McCook into an ICE detention center - informally called the 'Cornhusker Clink' - with capacity for up to 300 adults.
Nebraska's immigrant communities are concentrated in meatpacking, agricultural processing, and construction industries, particularly in South Omaha, Grand Island, Lexington, Schuyler, and other communities that grew around meatpacking plants over the past three decades. These communities have lived in Nebraska for years and decades, and they have experienced the direct impact of enforcement intensification in 2025 and 2026.
The June 10, 2025 raid on Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha - Nebraska's largest worksite immigration enforcement action since the current administration - detained 76 workers from a plant where most employees are from Guatemala and the Mexican state of Guerrero. The raid created a chilling effect across South Omaha and shut down businesses in the South 24th Street corridor. A year later, the economic effects on South Omaha continued. Families separated by the raid are still navigating immigration proceedings. And Nebraska's federal courts are handling an unprecedented volume of wrongful detention lawsuits - more than 60 habeas petitions filed since September 2025 - from immigrants held in Nebraska detention facilities.
Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including Nebraska
These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in Nebraska regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.
At your front door
The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. An administrative warrant - ICE Form I-200 or I-205 - is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge, and does not authorize entry to your home without your consent. Ask through the door which type of warrant is being presented. If it is administrative, you are not required to open the door.
During a traffic stop or street encounter
You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.
Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting these rights.
At your workplace
ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent in any workplace encounter. Under the Glenn Valley Foods raid, workers were fingerprinted and separated into groups based on their documentation. If agents approach you at work, you can state that you are exercising your right to remain silent and wish to speak to an attorney. Do not run, and do not resist physically.
Do not sign anything without a lawyer
Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. During and after the Glenn Valley Foods raid, attorneys at CIRA documented that some detained workers signed self-deportation orders without having the opportunity to speak with a lawyer first. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney. This is critical and has been documented as a real risk in Nebraska.
Part 2: Nebraska's enforcement framework
Executive Order 25-01
Governor Pillen's January 2025 executive order requires all Nebraska state agencies to cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement. It requires the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) and Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) to notify ICE about individuals in custody suspected of immigration violations. It directs agencies to hold those individuals when possible for ICE custody. It encourages all local jails and law enforcement to enter into formal 287(g) agreements. The compliance deadline was May 31, 2025.
The 287(g) landscape - state and county agreements
Prior to 2025, only the Dakota County Sheriff's Department had a 287(g) agreement in Nebraska. Under Governor Pillen's direction, the Nebraska State Patrol and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services both signed agreements in 2025. Four county agencies also had active agreements as of early 2026. The NDCS agreement facilitated the conversion of the McCook minimum-security facility into the ICE detention center.
Nebraska State Patrol's participation means that NSP troopers can conduct immigration enforcement during routine highway patrol activities statewide - the same pattern as Missouri's Highway Patrol agreement. A traffic stop by an NSP trooper on I-80 or any Nebraska interstate or state highway can involve immigration enforcement elements for trained and deputized troopers.
No sanctuary cities
Nebraska has no official sanctuary cities. The Omaha Police Department does not formally cooperate with ICE for civil immigration enforcement purposes - Omaha police were present at the perimeter of the Glenn Valley Foods raid but were not conducting the internal enforcement operation. However, Omaha has no formal sanctuary ordinance, and its posture could change. Families in Omaha benefit from a police department that focuses on local public safety rather than immigration enforcement, but this is departmental policy, not legal protection.
Part 3: The Glenn Valley Foods raid - what it documented about risk
The June 10, 2025 raid on Glenn Valley Foods is the most significant enforcement event in Nebraska's recent history and provides documented information about what worksite enforcement looks like.
The operation involved dozens of federal officers and DEA agents, many wearing face masks. Workers were brought into the cafeteria and separated into two groups: those with documents and those without. All workers were fingerprinted. Those without valid documents had their hands zip-tied and were loaded onto white buses. The entire audit of 177 employees took approximately four hours. Seventy-six workers were detained. About a dozen were deported or transferred out of state quickly. Sixty-three others were initially taken to the Lincoln County Detention Center. Family members arrived at the plant to bring documents. The company itself was cleared of wrongdoing - Glenn Valley had passed E-Verify 100%, but the government alleged the workers had used stolen Social Security numbers belonging to U.S. citizens.
In the immediate aftermath, some detained workers signed self-deportation orders without speaking to a lawyer. Many were held for more than 60 hours before being processed, during which time families did not know where their loved ones were held and legal service providers had no access to them. This period before legal access is the most dangerous window - and the most important time not to sign anything. CIRA attorneys documented this as the most chaotic enforcement event they had encountered in Nebraska's history.
The economic fallout on South Omaha extended for months: South 24th Street businesses closed, Glenn Valley itself operated at reduced capacity, and families across the South Omaha community experienced lasting fear and disruption.
Part 4: The McCook detention center and habeas petitions
Governor Pillen directed the conversion of a minimum-security state prison in McCook, in southwestern Nebraska, into an ICE detention center. The facility - informally called the 'Cornhusker Clink' - has capacity for approximately 300 adults. McCook is approximately four hours from Omaha, the state's largest city, and three hours from Denver. There is no public bus service between Omaha and McCook. The facility's remote location makes attorney access difficult and family visits nearly impossible for many families.
Nebraska's federal courts began handling an unprecedented volume of habeas corpus petitions from immigrants detained in Nebraska following the Glenn Valley Foods raid. More than 60 petitions were filed between September 2025 and early 2026, with 36 cases in the first two months of 2026 alone. Many of these cases involve people who were granted bond by an immigration judge but whom the government refused to release through an administrative 'auto-stay' mechanism. The ACLU of Nebraska has represented some petitioners. The surge in petitions has strained judicial resources and represents a new pattern of legal challenge to detention practices in Nebraska.
Part 5: What to do right now, before anything happens
Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. If you are detained in Nebraska and transferred to McCook, you may be hours from family and legal aid. Having your A-number allows family to locate you faster through the ICE detainee locator.
Know that under the Glenn Valley Foods experience, some people signed self-deportation orders during the chaotic hours after arrest before attorneys could reach them. This is documented and can happen again. The right not to sign anything without a lawyer is critical and must be exercised even under pressure.
Know CIRA's contact information before anything happens. The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement was the primary legal organization providing consultations to Glenn Valley detainees and can be reached quickly in a crisis. Heartland Workers Center also serves Nebraska's meatpacking and worker communities.
Know that Omaha police generally do not cooperate with ICE for civil immigration enforcement, but the Nebraska State Patrol has a statewide 287(g) agreement. A traffic stop by an NSP trooper carries different enforcement potential than an OPD stop.
Prepare guardianship documents for any children. The Glenn Valley raid left families separated for months. Documented standby guardian arrangements protect children immediately.
Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage accounts and property if you are detained and transferred to McCook or out of state.
Part 6: Legal help and resources in Nebraska
The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (CIRA) is the primary immigration legal services organization in Nebraska and the lead organization responding to Glenn Valley detainees. They provided legal consultations to most of the workers detained in the June 2025 raid. Their legal director is Roxana Cortes-Mills. Contact CIRA first in any detention emergency.
The ACLU of Nebraska has been actively engaged on 287(g) expansion, habeas petitions, and detention conditions at McCook. Their executive director Mindy Rush Chipman and staff attorney Grant Friedman have been central to legal challenges in Nebraska. Their website is aclunebraska.org.
The Heartland Workers Center serves meatpacking, construction, restaurant, and cleaning workers in Omaha and provides connections to legal and community resources. They have been engaged on the ongoing effects of the Glenn Valley raid.
Nebraska Public Media and the Flatwater Free Press are the primary news organizations tracking Nebraska immigration enforcement and are the best sources for current developments.
For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. Nebraska detainees may be held at the McCook Detention Center, the Lincoln County Detention Center, the Dakota County Jail (South Sioux City), or other facilities. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 if your person does not appear in the locator - particularly important given McCook's remote location.
Immigration Advocates Network lists Nebraska legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.
Nebraska has no sanctuary protections, has aligned all state agencies with federal enforcement, and opened a new ICE detention facility in a remote corner of the state. The Glenn Valley Foods raid documented exactly what enforcement looks like in Nebraska's meatpacking communities: workplace sweeps, hours without legal access, and the real risk of signing documents under pressure. Nebraska's federal courts are handling an unprecedented volume of wrongful detention challenges. Your constitutional rights apply in full: your home cannot be entered without your consent or a judicial warrant, you cannot be compelled to sign anything, and your right to remain silent is unchanged. Knowing those rights, knowing CIRA's contact information, and not signing anything without a lawyer are the practical foundations for protecting your family in Nebraska.
This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. The Glenn Valley Foods raid occurred June 10, 2025. The McCook ICE detention center opened in late 2025. The habeas petition surge in Nebraska federal courts was ongoing as of early 2026. Verify current conditions with CIRA or the ACLU of Nebraska.