McCOOK, Neb. — The nonprofit advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed filed a lawsuit on behalf of 13 McCook residents and a former state lawmaker Wednesday, seeking to halt conversion of the Work Ethic Camp prison into a federal detainment facility run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The suit, filed in Red Willow County, accuses Gov. Jim Pillen of exceeding his authority and argues that the Legislature is authorized to control penal institutions and repurpose public buildings. The suit cited the state constitution enshrining a separation of powers between branches of government and states that “the general management, control and government of all state charitable, mental, reformatory and penal institutions shall be vested as determined by the Legislature.”

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