Gov. Pillen backs ICE crackdown, but his company employs undocumented workers

Pillen defends family business — and himself — after report on immigrant hiring

Gov. Pillen, after taking questions Wednesday about people with traumatic brain injuries and developmental disabilities, tried leaving a ceremonial bill signing without addressing reports of his farms hiring undocumented workers.

Gov. Pillen backs ICE crackdown, but his company employs undocumented workers

Editor’s note: Yanqi Xu is a reporter for Flatwater Free Press. She examined the agricultural industry in Nebraska as a part of The New York Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship.

Pillen's company hires undocumented labor

Before becoming Nebraska's governor three years ago, Jim Pillen built a multimillion-dollar hog enterprise. Casting himself as a conservative businessman who would grow the state's economy, he defeated a Trump-backed candidate in the Republican primary.