Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Jim Pillen speaks to guests at a Pizza Ranch in Omaha. Photo: Matt Johnson of "Right Cheer" Flickr/Wikipedia
Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen claimed he was intent on cracking down on undocumented immigrants in his state, but when it came time, that's who he hired.
“The need for going after those criminal illegal aliens could not be more clear today," Pillen said in his January state of the state address.
But the New York Times caught the Republican using undocumented laborers for his family's pork processing plant.
According to the report, Pillen has "faced little public scrutiny about his workers." His office is denying that he had any role in it, claiming that he simply didn't know.
“Jim Pillen never knowingly hired an illegal immigrant and went above and beyond the legal requirements to verify the immigration status of his employees," said spokesperson Laura Strimple in a statement.
Pillen Family Farms has become one of the largest hog producers, the Times reported. Farmers and ranchers are suffering under the weight of the government's immigration crackdowns, reported The Daily News Record. It has left few willing to do the work needed to pick crops or process meat. When labor costs go up, so do food costs.
The Times said that the company using undocumented labor "is an open secret at some of its Nebraska farms." At least 20 of the farms under his company are hiring undocumented immigrants. While he makes hefty profits, the Republican is referring to those workers as “the worst of the worst.”
Reporters spoke to David Armendariz, who once came from Mexico without legal status and worked for the Pillen Family Farm. They accepted his fake ID.
“Everyone knows that it’s not your name,” he said, “but they don’t ask you what your name is.”
As his employment progressed, Armendariz said he saw more and more Latino workers join him at the company. Many of them, he said, were undocumented.
It wasn't until 2022 that the company battened down the hatches on employment requirements, as Pillen launched his campaign for governor. At that point, the company began hiring immigrants on special work visas.
“[Governor Pillen] has the strongest immigration record in Nebraska history. Under the governor’s leadership, Nebraska has assisted the federal government in the deportation of nearly 1,000 illegal immigrants through its variety of partnerships with federal entities," the governor's office said.
Pillen is facing off against Lynne Walz in November, noted The New Republic in its write-up of the Times report. In a statement about the findings she posted on X: “Four years of Jim Pillen has taught us one thing: what he says and what he does are two different things. His farm and personal business are just the latest proof. He’s made a career holding other people to standards he won’t keep himself. The people paying the price are always the same – workers, families, the folks who can’t write a campaign check. Nebraska deserves better.”