RELEASE: Ruling issued on lawsuit over unauthorized takeover of Work Ethic Camp

LINCOLN, NE – Red Willow County District Judge Patrick Heng has issued a ruling in the lawsuit filed by Nebraska Appleseed on behalf of former State Senator DiAnna Schimek and thirteen residents of McCook, Nebraska, to prevent Governor Jim Pillen’s unauthorized attempt to repurpose Nebraska’s Work Ethic Camp into a large-scale ICE detainment camp. 

The plaintiffs in the case asked for a temporary injunction and ultimately a permanent injunction to stop the Governor and the Department of Corrections from taking any further action to convert the facility into a detainment camp. The Defendants had requested the court dismiss the suit. 

Today, Judge Heng ruled that the Plaintiffs and the Defendants motions should both be denied. This means that the case will continue and not be dismissed, but it also means the repurposing of the Work Ethic Camp  will continue as the case progresses.

Robert McEwen, Nebraska Appleseed’s Legal Director, issued the following statement:

“While we are disappointed that the Court did not decide to halt the advancement of changes to the Work Ethic Camp that would include detainment, we are pleased that Judge Heng has not dismissed the case. The case will carry forward from here, and we will continue to represent the interests of our clients in halting the activities of the Defendants as they relate to the large-scale detainment camp in McCook.”