LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - Gov. Jim Pillen said Thursday that there are as many as 60 ICE detainees currently housed at the regional detention center in McCook.

The governor said detainees began arriving at the former Work Ethic Camp on Monday night. He estimates that there are between 50 and 60 detainees in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the detention center Thursday after speaking with the mayor of McCook.

Pillen said he expects there will be about 200 inmates there before Thanksgiving, saying detainees are arriving there every day. That aligns with “Phase 1″ of the Department of Homeland Security plans for the facility.

The governor said Thursday that funding for “Phase 2″ — another 100 beds — was just approved by the federal government. He said that part of

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