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--:-- Host (John Bickley): While several blue state governors continue to work overtime to thwart the Trump administration's immigration clampdown, many of their red state counterparts are working hand in glove with ICE to get criminal illegals off the streets and out of the country. Among those red states is Nebraska, which is partnering with federal authorities and building out a detention center dubbed the Cornhusker Clink.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): In this episode, we sit down with the governor of Nebraska, Jim Pillen, to discuss how his state is working alongside the federal government to get immigration under control. I'm Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe.
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--:-- Host (John Bickley): Joining us now to discuss how he's handling immigration in his state is Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): First of all, Governor, thank you so much for coming on.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Hey, John, great to be on. Appreciate the opportunity and look forward to our visit.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So you have been doing a lot of work with the Trump administration on immigration. And I wanted to ask you about that. How has that process been and what are you guys doing?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: The process really, really started for me a long time ago and became fortified as the governor of Nebraska when we supported Governor Abbott during the Biden administration in 23 and 24 with security on the border.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We sent troops down. I was down several times and was briefed by Governor Abbott and his team and just what was going on. And one time I went down early because I wanted to meet with locals at Eagle Pass.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And it was really, really heart-wrenching to see what was taking place. And then one helicopter ride, one of the pilots, as I was asking questions, said, Jim, just look across the river, look into the community and look how the cartels have destroyed this community.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And we had our state patrol, which has a really, really special drone program. And we were able to get pictures to help support and just see how the cartels were packing kids like mules with the synthetic methamphetamines that come from China, the fentanyl, and then not to mention the sex trafficking.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: So there was just an abundance of criminals and terrorists come across focused on a lot of bad stuff. So for me, really, really simple. The highest calling of government is safety.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: I'm not a politician. I want government out of my hair. Government's got to keep us safe. That's where we're at. We're supporting the president. We're so incredibly grateful for getting the border secured.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: I am incredibly grateful that he's designated the cartels as terrorists. They are, in my opinion, are one of the greatest impediments of our society and the harm that they causing our country and our youth I about our kids and so really big
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: So our focus is we involved in helping with ICE to be able to keep our communities safe We had an influx of people in the last four years doing extraordinary harm. We have to get them out. That's why we're working really, really hard on ICE.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We've been able to come together and have a facility to support it. And we're really, really proud of that work.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Yeah, I wanted to have you speak to that facility a little bit. There's been a lot of focus on alligator Alcatraz in Florida. Now there's the Cornhusker Clink. What exactly is that?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Yeah, well, you know, it's a piece of our Department of Corrections. So we have a facility in southwest Nebraska. It's about three hours east of Denver.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: It's a facility that's been in operation about 35 years. It is an accredited, certified National Department of Corrections facility. We have 84 people that do great work there.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: So that's a facility that we are in the midst of relocating. We had 186 people there relocating them within other departments. So this facility now will be 100% operational.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We'll be ready like September 15th really quick to be able to take the criminals that are detained, hold them while they go through the court system to get before a judge, and then deport them from there.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We have an airport close by. It will serve maybe a six-region area if you think about state, a six-state area if you think about Colorado, the Dakotas, Kansas, Iowa.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And, you know, us Nebraskans can't believe it, but the reality is we've got a bunch of bad people around that we need to get them out.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Do you expect legal pushback from sort of left-wing activists like we've seen with the Florida facility?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Oh, yeah, of course. You know, beautiful thing is we live in the greatest country in the face of the earth. Everybody can have their say in their opinion.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: You know, everything is totally all the bases are covered. When ACLU or whoever is going to sue us, we'll win. We stand accord the day.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And, you know, Nebraska's conservative. 80% of Nebraskans are really, really grateful. I was just out at the state fair and nonstop meeting Nebraskans at the state fair.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Thank you, government, for all you do. Thank you for fighting proper tax. Thank you for the McCook facility keeping us safe. We're grateful.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Eight out of 10 Nebraskans, 100% supportive. Yeah, it's amazing level of support there.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): We know your state patrol has taken advantage of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the 287G program. What is that exactly and how is it being utilized in Nebraska?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Yeah, so we were able to just get that going. We had change in our kernel of the state patrol, so we weren't able to move quite as quickly as I wanted.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: But that's taken place along with our National Guard doing the administrative function. And so we will have we have some state patrol folks being trained right now, and then they will be supportive of ICE, which means that they can do the same functions of arresting on ICE.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We do a lot of work. A lot of people aren't aware of it, but we do a lot of work with technology and IDs on Interstate 80 and other highways of license plates.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And so we're able to find Interstate 80 goes east-west 500 miles across the great state of Nebraska. Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad people moving drugs. We're arresting and that'll be another piece that will support that.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): The other that we're really proud of is General Strong and the National Guard I just met with 20 troops who volunteered to be a part of the administrative support for ICE
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And again as I told them it really really important We understand the mission. The mission is to keep us safe. Our mission is not involved when we have people that have been living in Nebraska for 20 and 30 years working.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: The federal government's got to do their job to figure out the immigration. Our job is to keep us safe. We're not a part of the deportation thought process.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Pretty complicated issue is the issue of having, you know, the immigrants that did come in, a lot of them under Biden, working for employers in the state.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): We've seen some roundups, some arrests related to that, particularly with farmers. This is difficult. How do you handle that in the state? What's your message to employers in the state?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Yeah, my message is simple. We are working very, very hard for the highest calling of government to keep us safe.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: The reality is that I think is really important for everybody. All of the farmers and the cattle feeders and the folks that I know, you know, they have immigration has been an issue for 40 years.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We have 330,000 Latino immigrants in the state of Nebraska. Many have everything perfect. Some are undocumented. They've been working for our community, in our communities for 10 and 20 and 30 years.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: So we're not talking about them. We're talking about the people that came across in the Biden era. And those weren't immigrants. I mean, I met a family in Eagle Pass who said, Jim, here's what happened to us.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We have a little ranch north of town. It got broken into and we were gone. We had a steer. They killed a steer and they took it into our home and butchered it on the bed. That's not immigrants. That's criminals and terrorists.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: That's who I want the heck out of our communities. All Nebraskans agree. All conservative Americans agree. It's a no-brainer.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): You know, we started talking about, started off talking about You working with Texas, providing some National Guard help during that battle, that showdown with the Biden administration.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): How is immigration a larger issue? Like, how do the states have to cooperate? And where have you seen maybe tension points there and also places where states have really worked together to improve the situation for all the citizens of those states?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Yeah, well, there's a ton of states that have worked together to support Governor Abbott. All conservative states, right?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: I mean, we've worked hard. High is calling. Keep us safe. Make sure that we support blue. We do everything we can.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: The good news in Nebraska, we have great people. It's all about the people. But there's a few bad actors, and we have to hold them accountable.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a great point. Well, we've seen under Trump what happens when you have a White House determined to crack down on the border. The number of crossings have almost completely dried up. It's actually really remarkable.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): So we can see some action there, at least from the executive branch. We'll see if Congress can, you know, agree on enough to take some additional action.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Now, as for college football. Awesome. How's Nebraska shaping up? I want to hear your perspective.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And listen, I know you're a homer, but give us the real deal. Is Nebraska going to be improved this year? We saw some steps taken last year. What do you think?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: You know, so I had the privilege to play for legendary coach, Tom Osborne, a long time. ago. And I've said it over and over again. We lost an extraordinary amount of discipline and toughness year after year from the time Coach Osborne retired.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: What I'm so excited about is our coach, Matt Ruhle. Matt Ruhle is an incredible human who is a phenomenal leader who happens to be a football coach.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Tom Osborne transformed my life. I'm seeing Matt Rule do the same thing with his kids. And he's a tough guy. He's about physical football. He's about extraordinary discipline and toughness.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: And he's given the Huskers the gift of belief. This is not drinking the Kool-Aid. This is getting to see it and understand it. I'm really, really excited.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): We're really proud of Coach Rule. He's got great people and a great organization. Troy Denner, our AD, they're great partners.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): And we're really excited, really excited for the season. Everybody in college football says it right. Nebraska has to be great again. And it's time to happen.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): As a Florida State fan, I used to love, we had a rivalry way back when. We did just steal one of your coaches. I feel bad about that. I'm apologizing here formally.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Any major games in the early stages of the schedule we should keep an eye out for with Nebraska?
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Well, yeah, I think that September 20th is a really, really big day in Lincoln, providing early part of the season goes as we plan.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: We've got a game with Michigan. We owe Michigan back. And, you know, Michigan's got a linebacker by the name of Ernest Hausman, who was adopted from Africa. and he grew up in our church, you know, so I've known Ernest since he was a little guy.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Haven't seen him for a few years. Wish him well, but I'm hoping we block him well when we play Michigan. But that'll be a big game. That'll be a good test to give us the confidence to go the rest of the year.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That's a great point. College football has changed very dramatically in the last few years. A lot of people complaining about it. I actually like it. I think it's fascinating.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): If nothing else, the sort of college football industry is a fascinating, complicated, ever-changing thing now. And there's lots to watch for.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): Thank you so much for talking with us.
--:-- Governor Jim Pillen: Yeah. Hey, thank you, John. Let's enjoy the college football season because it is special stuff.
--:-- Host (John Bickley): That was Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen. And this has been a weekend edition of Morning Wire.
