ACLU sues on behalf of McCook (NE) ICE detainees, criticizes attorney-client access
Source: Nebraska Examiner
By: Cindy Gonzalez - February 4, 2026 5:15 am
LINCOLN — The Nebraska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has launched its first federal lawsuits on behalf of migrants at McCook’s so-called “Cornhusker Clink,” which opened a few months ago as an ICE regional detention center.
The two ACLU suits, one filed Tuesday and the other last week in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, center on a Guatemalan and an Eastern African. Both cases are tied to growing national conflict over prolonged detention of undocumented migrants but also provide a glimpse into how attorney access is playing out for those jailed at the state’s former Work Ethic Camp now operating as a hybrid state-federal facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Grant Friedman, the local ACLU attorney representing the two McCook detainees, called it the “worst experience” he’s had in lawyer-client accommodations in any jail he has visited across the state.
Unsure of changed rules
He said he’s not witnessed malicious or intentional neglect from staff. Rather, he believes uncertainty over jurisdictional duties has slowed down processes such as setting up lawyer-client meetings. Friedman said that he consults with a half-dozen detainees at the McCook center that Gov. Jim Pillen converted amid opposition from protesters and some state senators.
The state’s Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Neb., has become a detention center for migrants facing deportation proceedings. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/04/aclu-sues-on-behalf-of-mccook-ice-detainees-criticizes-attorney-client-access/