Nebraska Governor Pillen pushes ICE partnership while his farms employ undocumented workers
Governor Jim Pillen has aligned state law enforcement with ICE for immigration raids, even as investigations reveal his hog farms have hired undocumented labor.
Jim Pillen, Nebraska’s governor since 2023, recently directed the state patrol to cooperate with ICE and allowed a former prison to serve as a detention hub for migrants. He has repeatedly echoed Trump’s rhetoric about “criminal illegal aliens.” Yet a joint investigation found that Pillen Family Farms, which grew from a 60-sow operation to one of the nation’s largest hog producers, has relied on undocumented workers for years, with court documents indicating at least 20 farms used such labor.
Employees and former staff described widespread use of fake IDs, and several workers faced criminal charges for identity fraud. Pillen’s spokesperson maintains the company never knowingly hired illegal immigrants and participates in E-Verify. The story highlights a contrast between the governor’s public anti-immigration policy and his business’s labor practices.
