LINCOLN, Neb. —

During a Thursday news conference , Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen confirmed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in McCook is officially up and running.

Pillen said there are about 50 to 60 detainees already there and expects 200 by Thanksgiving.

Pillen said there are two phases. The first consists of hosting up to 200 detainees, which will be completed in the next two weeks. The second phase is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

In a statement Thursday, the ACLU of Nebraska said, "Pillen's decision to offer the state prison facility for detaining immigrants comes against the backdrop of a significantly overcrowded prison system. Nebraska's prisons are at more than 140% of their designed capacity . The McCook site held just under 200 m

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