Omaha, Neb. — One year ago, families in Omaha were upended. Children were not picked up from daycare; loved ones waited by the phone that never rang, and an entire community hid in fear.

That’s because one year ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a large-scale work raid at the Glenn Valley Foods plant. They arrested dozens of workers, shocking their families, community leaders, and organizations throughout the state.

The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement (CIRA) was one organization on the frontlines.

The raid became a turning point for CIRA’s legal representation work, reshaping how the organization responds to immigration detention across Nebraska.

“It really forced us to confront the reality of what large scale detention looks like,” said CIRA Senior Attorney and Rapid Response Lead Ariel Magaña Linares.

He recalled that the previous administration did not conduct detention to this scale with these tactics.

CIRA swiftly sent a team of attorneys to ensure all people detained could have access to quality, pro bono legal representation and have the opportunity to review their rights with an expert. Two CIRA team members drove more than four hours and arrived in North Platte the same night as those detained with only the clothes on their backs.

Due to an immense team effort and ability to respond quickly, CIRA closed all immigration cases tied to the raid within a few months.

Challenging ICE Detention Practices

The attorneys who responded to the raid describe the learning experience as qualitative, rather than quantitative, meaning they gathered more knowledge from real people and their experiences rather than analyzing the numbers involved.

That led them to a primary goal: challenge ICE’s detention practices in court .

The American Immigration Council describes ICE going “rogue,” and published an analysis of “the Legal Authorities Governing ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Operations — and How They’re Being Undermined and Violated by Policy and Practice.”

It found ICE commits “widespread violations” with no accountability.

CIRA led the way in the state helping to file habeas corpus petitions, in which attorneys argued those detained in immigration detention had the right to bond hearings. This led to CIRA’s Detainee Hotline, becoming an invaluable resource for detainees and their loved ones to be screened for eligibility to have an immigration bond set and possible defenses against removal.

As late as March, one successful case, referred through the hotline, allowed a father of three to stay with his family while navigating his immigration proceedings.

Changing Tactics in Bond Hearings

However, once again CIRA attorneys needed to pivot quickly when, on March 25, 2026, an 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals decision changed how federal judges in our region handle habeas corpus petitions against ICE. The decision ended the possibility of bond hearings, let alone release, for individuals who arrived in the U.S. without permission.

“This decision significantly hurt our capacity to challenge ICE detention practices in the same way,” said Senior Attorney Magaña Linares.

As CIRA Legal Director Roxana Cortes-Mills explained, the team has adapted to the change while continuing to defend people’s right to a bond hearing.

The Detainee Hotline continues to be in service with access specialists covering intake, a dedicated legal representative reviewing their cases, and referring them to other potential resources. For some immigrants in detention, they may be able to challenge their detention based on violations of their constitutional rights, the availability of immigration relief in detention, and direct challenges to the allegations against them.

This is the first time the U.S. has this kind of concerted effort attacking the right to bond, but CIRA attorneys remain optimistic about ensuring individuals’ rights continue to be recognized.

Does the Future Involve Community Sweeps?

Community-wide sweeps, such as the highly publicized ICE operations in Minneapolis and Chicago, are among.

Like workplace raids, these operations can create widespread fear and instability. The resulting chilling effect leads some community members to avoid work, school, medical appointments, and other essential activities out of fear of immigration enforcement. The impact extends beyond those directly affected, disrupting families and weakening the broader community.

As Cortes-Mills stated, workplace enforcement has not garnered support from the general populace.

“Glenn Valley was a one-time event that was unpopular with various industries and communities,” she said. “And the fear of having lived through workplace enforcement led to an increase of misinformation and panic in vulnerable communities.”

CIRA’s Legal Team does not foresee future trends of workplace raids nor community sweeps that have taken place in cities such as Minneapolis. Rather, both Cortes-Mills and Magaña Linares have seen an increase in targeting individuals as opposed to on a mass scale.

Cortes-Mills said she is thankful CIRA’s Legal Team collaborates with the Social Work Team.

“The negative impacts that stem from that raid one year ago did not wrap up short-term; they have lingered. And we at CIRA are equipped to continue responding to the needs of both communities directly and indirectly affected by the Glenn Valley ICE raid,” she said.

One year later, the effects of the Glenn Valley raid still ripple through Nebraska families and communities. But CIRA legal leaders said their commitment remains the same: ensuring immigrant families are not left to navigate fear, detention, and uncertainty alone.