Nebraska
ACLU accuses Omaha court of violating immigrants’ due process in Nebraska, Iowa – Iowa Capital Dispatch
LINCOLN, Nebraska — A new report from the ACLU of Nebraska accuses the U.S. Department of Justice immigration court in Omaha of routinely violating due process rights in immigrants’ removal proceedings.
The new report, unveiled Friday, is based on more than 500 pretrial hearings that researchers watched between April and August 2023. A team recorded the process and outcome of each hearing, including its length, whether immigrants were advised of their rights, the language they spoke and whether they had an interpreter or attorney.
The court oversees cases for people living in Nebraska and Iowa.
Dylan Severino, legal fellow for the Nebraska ACLU and the report’s lead author, said federal law guarantees that immigrants receive a full and fair removal hearing.
“What we saw is a far cry from that guarantee,” he said in a statement.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees such immigration courts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Rights called an ‘unmovable object’
About 40% of removal proceedings for the Omaha court include people living in Iowa, according to the ACLU of Iowa. It also said more than 2,600 new proceedings were filed against people living in Iowa in the current fiscal year. Comparable figures were not provided for Nebraska.
Severino said pressures on courts, including growing caseloads and backlogs, should not affect constitutional rights.
“That’s an unmovable object that simply cannot be fringed upon for the sake of expediency,” Severino said at a Friday news conference.
The Nebraska ACLU’s report, produced in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Legal Decision-Making Lab, presents four takeaways from 534 observed hearings:
- The duration of each procedural pretrial hearing was 3.9 minutes.
- Judges read immigrants their rights in 18% of observed hearings, often in group settings.
- For 32 immigrants whose preferred language was a Central American Indigenous language, such as Mam, Q’anjob’al and K’iche’, 81% did not have an interpreter.
- An attorney did not represent an immigrant in 19% of observed hearings.
The ACLU primarily observed non-detained cases before two of the three judges — U.S. Judges Alexandra Larsen and Abby Meyer. Judge Matthew Morrissey primarily presides over cases of detained immigrants, the ACLU said.
The report says 387 hearings before Judge Larsen were observed. They lasted an average of 3.8 minutes, and Larsen didn’t advise 79% of the immigrants of their rights. Of 147 hearings before Judge Meyer, she did not advise 92% of immigrants of their rights, and the hearings lasted an average of 3 minutes.
ACLU’s recommendations
Rose Godinez, Nebraska ACLU legal director, said the report indicates that the immigration system “is not working for anyone” and she hopes federal and state leaders pay attention.
“It is a problem that is shared by all of us, and the solution also depends on all of us,” she said.
Among the ACLU’s recommendations are for the court to advise immigrants of their rights individually before each hearing and provide adequate interpretation services. It also recommends that local or state governments create a program for guaranteed representation.
The ACLU also argues that the immigration courts should be federally restructured as an independent court system from the executive branch, with more immigration judges, who should come from diverse work experiences. Most of the system’s judges are former Immigrations and Customs Enforcement attorneys, including all three in Omaha.
In the meantime, the ACLU states, this “onus of depoliticization” falls on the DOJ.
“In a system that pits immigrants against the government, that bias can be determinative in life-or-death asylum cases,” the ACLU report states.
Severino said the Omaha court isn’t reaching the bar set by constitutional rights. He argued that reforms would help the court become more efficient by preventing retrials and appeals.
“The bottom line is that there needs to be action to address the problems we found and help more people stay in Nebraska and Iowa, put down roots, and continue to strengthen our communities,” Severino said.
A typical pretrial removal hearing for immigrants, or “Master Calendar Hearing,” is an important step that the attorneys with the ACLU of Nebraska and an immigration attorney said are some of the most important.
The following actions must occur during each immigrant’s pretrial hearing:
- The immigrant’s case is called for hearing.
- The judge asks the immigrant to pronounce their name.
- The judge requests that the immigrant name their attorney, if they have one.
- The judge advises the immigrant of their rights in the court.
- An ICE attorney describes allegations against the immigrant.
- The judge asks the immigrant to deny or admit to each allegation.
- The judge asks the immigrant to choose a country for deportation.
- If the immigrant refuses, the country is chosen for them.
- The judge asks if there are legal reasons the immigrant should not be deported.
- The judge sets deadlines for the submission of various forms, applications, statements and more.
- The judge schedules the next pretrial hearing or a final evidentiary hearing (known as a trial or “Individual Calendar Hearing”) to decide the case.
“There is no possible way to do all of that in four minutes.” — Rose Godinez, Nebraska ACLU legal director.
This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: [email protected]. Follow Nebraska Examiner on Facebook and Twitter.
The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on May 9.
Winning Powerball numbers from May 9 drawing
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 9 drawing
06-27-58-61-65, Powerball: 14
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 9 drawing
8-2-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from May 9 drawing
19-25-26-28-34
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 9 drawing
Red Balls: 01-02, White Balls: 13-26
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning MyDay numbers from May 9 drawing
Month: 08, Day: 06, Year: 05
Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 9 drawing
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
I recently read an article by Nate McHugh of SB Nation that stated the last two “sure things” to bring Nebraska football back failed. The first “thing” is back coaching at UCF, and the second “thing” is now wearing an Oregon uniform. Because these two “sure things” failed, McHugh points to them as reasons for Husker fan’s frustration. But did he miss the third reason? If I’m not mistaken, the hiring of Matt Rhule felt like one of those “sure things” as well. But after the ‘mythical’ year three and disappointment it became clear Rhule’s hiring was anything but a “sure thing” for success.
Because of that fans are torn how they feel about Rhule. I’m one of them. I catch myself saying Rhule is the right guy for Nebraska and then quickly point out that his overall record as a head coach is 66-62. Clearly mediocre compared to Kyle Whittingham (177-88) or James Franklin (104-45). But Rhule hasn’t stayed anywhere long enough to truly establish himself like Whittingham or Franklin either.
See what I mean, I’m quick to point out his shortcomings but still believe he can make the Huskers relevant again. Where Husker fans struggle is that Rhule has in fact taken us to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2015-2016 yet allowed his team to get curb stomped by Penn State, Iowa, and Utah to end the season.
So, fans are leery going into the 2026 season. What are we going to get considering the schedule? The Huskers get Indiana, Washington, and Ohio State at home, and Oregon, Illinois, and Iowa on the road. While no game is a sure win, if they can’t notch victories against Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota, Michigan State, Maryland and Rutgers, then we’ll once again question if Rhule is the right man. Simply put, the fan base will be disappointed with another 6-6 season. Personally, with the coaching changes and improvement in talent, my expectation is a record of 7-5 or 8-4 on the season.
Tim Verghese of ‘Inside Nebraska’ got my attention last week when talking about fans giving recruits a negative vibe and possibly influencing their decision to commit to a program. He used Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M as an example. The fanbase was so negative about Fisher that it made recruits question how secure he was at A&M. Obviously recruits had reason to be worried.
Does that affect how I approach what I write or talk about? It does, but then again, I don’t think so much of myself to think it matters. I see myself as your typical fan. I’m just someone who shares their thoughts about Husker football. And frankly, like 50% or more of the fans, I’m torn between being supportive and negativity. We’ve been burned too many times and haven’t seen the things that we need to see to convince us a turnaround is about to happen. Whether it’s offense, defense, or beating the teams they are supposed to beat (Minnesota & Iowa) there just hasn’t been any consistency from Rhule’s teams. As fans we need to see Rhule’s teams win the games they are supposed to, then win the close games, and finally beat the teams they aren’t supposed to. Until we see Rhule’s teams take those steps, there will be doubt and a level of negativity.
As far as recruits are concerned, I don’t see Rhule going anywhere. He’s safe due to his contract, the investment being made on the stadium, and Trae Taylor making it clear he’s all ‘N’ as long as Matt Rhule is the head man. He may just be a senior in high school, but don’t think QB Trae Taylor doesn’t play a role here. He does. And I’m good with that. Taylor has the same expectations as the fans.
And no, those expectations aren’t too high. I’ve been a fan for over fifty years. The standard at Nebraska was set a long time ago. That standard hasn’t changed. Nebraska fans may be up and down on how they feel about Rhule, but they are consistent on their expectations. The standard is the standard and always will be.
GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Photo courtesy of the Falls City Journal Home – Falls City Journal – Falls City, NE
Stay on top of Husker football at CarrikerChronicles.com
The results are in for the Nebraska Lottery’s draw games on Friday, May 8, 2026.
Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on May 8.
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 8 drawing
8-0-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from May 8 drawing
01-03-12-24-26
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 8 drawing
Red Balls: 02-20, White Balls: 09-11
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning MyDay numbers from May 8 drawing
Month: 01, Day: 16, Year: 17
Check MyDay payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Nebraska Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, 5: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- MyDaY: By 10 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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