Nebraska Republican Gov. Jim Pillen has backed President Donald Trump’s push for tougher immigration enforcement. However, The New York Times and Flatwater Free Press reported Wednesday that Pillen Family Farms used both legal workers and undocumented migrant labor while becoming one of the largest hog producers in the country.
The outlets said court records and interviews with more than two dozen current and former employees showed that undocumented workers were employed at at least 20 Pillen farms. Six former employees told the outlets they did not have legal status during their time with the company.
The investigation also found that at least a dozen Pillen workers faced charges between 2015 and 2024 for using fake or stolen identification to get jobs.
Company officials deny knowingly hiring workers without legal status
Pillen’s office said he did not knowingly hire undocumented workers. Spokeswoman Laura Strimple told the outlets, “Jim Pillen never knowingly hired an illegal immigrant and went above and beyond the legal requirements to verify the immigration status of his employees.”
The governor is running for re-election this fall with Trump’s endorsement, the outlets reported. After Trump returned to office, Pillen directed the Nebraska State Patrol to work with ICE on immigration enforcement, according to the report. The governor’s enforcement push comes as Trump faces legal challenges to his immigration policies, such as when a federal judge struck down key parts of his enforcement measures.
He also allowed ICE to hold hundreds of people at a former state prison known as the “Cornhusker Clink,” the outlets reported. This broader federal context includes reports that FBI agents were allegedly told the bureau would no longer look into ICE confrontations.
Pillen wrote on social media in December, “The criminal illegal aliens who have invaded our country must be removed. I will do everything in my power to stand strong with President Trump to get the job done.”
The Times and Flatwater investigation called undocumented labor an “open secret” at some Pillen sites. Former employee David Armendariz said he overstayed a tourist visa and worked at two Pillen farms until 2023.
Armendariz told the outlets that a manager took a fake driver’s license when he was hired. He said workers could use identities that others understood were not their own.
“Everyone knows that it’s not your name,” Armendariz said, “but they don’t ask you what your name is.” Pillen Family Farms co-CEO Sarah Pillen, the governor’s daughter, gave a similar denial. She added, “We have never knowingly hired an illegal immigrant.” The governor turned down interview requests and written questions from the outlets.
