ICE facility is far cry from ‘City on a Hill’
By Sister Catherine Kuper
I had never seen so much barbed wire and razor wire.
It shimmered forbiddingly in the sun, surrounding the red-brick buildings of the McCook Detention Center in McCook, Nebraska, like a noose and making it seem like the most desolate place on Earth.
My heart ached for the immigrants inside, between 200 and 300 men at any given time.
The hilltop facility was a far cry from what Jesus had in mind when he said, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matt 5:14)
I joined with about 300 other people in a peaceful rally near the facility on August 15, 2026. We wanted the men inside to know we still supported them a year after Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen allowed U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) to detain immigrants in the state’s former rehabilitation-focused work camp.
Many McCook residents and Nebraskans statewide have strongly opposed the opening of this detention center and want to shut it down.
‘We have not forgotten’
I made the 10-hour roundtrip bus trip to McCook with Mothers and Others: Justice and Mercy for Immigrants. The nonprofit grew out of a weekly witness for immigrants started by Sister Kathleen Erickson in front of a Mercy convent on a busy street in Omaha.
As members of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Sister Kathleen and I are committed to accompanying immigrants, and that is one of ministries we support that help migrants, along with those on the U.S.-Mexico border like Annunciation House, an immigrant shelter in El Paso, Texas.
My traveling companions and I carried signs with statements of support:
“We have not forgotten.”
“We are friends of immigrants.”
Others held large fluorescent letters that spelled, “Omaha Cares,” to make our presence visible to the men inside the detention center.
Nebraskans of many different backgrounds spoke out at the rally against the cruel immigration policies of President Donald Trump and Nebraska’s governor.
Why so much barbed wire?
During the rally, my gaze kept returning to the detention center’s endless coils of barbed wire and razor wire. This same type of wire that stretches across the Nebraska landscape, used by ranches to contain cattle with single strands.
Why so much wire, I wondered. Who is being kept in and who is being kept out?
I prayed during the rally that government officials would stop vilifying immigrants, most of whom have no criminal records other than minor infractions like a traffic stop. Their only “crime” is poverty and desperation.
The ICE detention center on the hill represents blatant racism and cruelty, that maliciously wants to look like control. This attractive, vibrant community of 8,000 people shouldn’t have to endure this blight upon their community.
I am left saying, “Good God, forgive us and help us to be better people.”
Voting for compassionate change
Voters who believe in humane policies for immigrants and for all people in need must act, speak up, and vote to elect officials who will enact compassionate change.
Voting is critical but there are many ways to raise your voice: Call your representatives, sign petitions, write letters to the editor calling for officials to be held accountable for the inhuman and unmerciful treatment of immigrants.
The Gospel command to “welcome the stranger” is one I take seriously as a Sister of Mercy. My religious order has walked with immigrants in the United States and internationally since 1843; we urge people of faith and goodwill to publicly stand with immigrants.
As we vote this fall, let’s remember how Pope Leo – the first American pope – commemorated our nation’s 250th birthday.
In his July 4 letter to Americans, he insisted that protecting all human life means “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.”
“To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”