Columbus, Neb. — Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, who built a multimillion-dollar hog operation before entering politics, has adopted a tough stance on immigration enforcement while his agricultural business has repeatedly employed undocumented workers, according to an investigation by multiple sources.

Since taking office three years ago, Pillen has aligned with hard-line immigration policies, winning an endorsement from former President Donald Trump for his re-election campaign this fall. Following Trump’s return to the White House, Pillen directed the Nebraska State Patrol to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on immigration enforcement efforts. He also permitted ICE to use a former state prison facility, now called the “Cornhusker Clink,” to detain hundreds of immigration detainees involved in mass deportation operations. Pillen has publicly echoed Trump’s rhetoric about “criminal illegal aliens” and “the worst of the worst” immigrants allegedly hiding in Nebraska.

Despite this hardline posture, Pillen’s hog farming enterprise, Pillen Family Farms, has employed a significant number of migrant workers, including some without legal status, for more than a decade. Court documents, interviews with over 40 employees and other officials reveal that at least 20 of the company’s farms have hired undocumented workers. The firm employs approximately 1,200 people across operations in four U.S. states and Canada.

Several current and former employees, including managers, acknowledged that using fake or stolen identification to secure employment was widespread within the company. Records show at least a dozen workers for Pillen were charged with identity fraud between 2015 and 2024; however, many workers using false identities avoided prosecution. One worker, David Armendariz, an undocumented Mexican who overstayed a tourist visa, recounted that a farm manager accepted a fraudulent driver’s license when he was hired. He also noted that other undocumented workers frequently used multiple or false identities in daily operations.

Since Pillen became governor, background checks for applicants reportedly increased, leading to more workers being turned away, according to a former farm manager. Nonetheless, immigration enforcement raids targeting agricultural employers in Nebraska have been relatively infrequent. ICE has not conducted inspections or audits at Pillen’s farms over the past 15 years, according to agency records. The largest recent ICE workplace raid in Nebraska occurred in June 2025 at an Omaha meatpacking plant, resulting in more than 70 arrests linked to identity theft.

Pillen’s office declined interview requests, but his spokeswoman emphasized the governor’s commitment to strong immigration enforcement, citing Nebraska’s cooperation with federal deportation efforts that have led to nearly 1,000 removals under his leadership. ICE data indicate that arrests in Nebraska have more than doubled since Trump’s second term began, contrasting with other states such as Minnesota where enforcement intensity differs.

Agricultural producers and labor experts note that farmers in politically conservative states like Nebraska face pressure to avoid antagonizing immigrant labor forces critical to their operations. The labor-intensive hog industry relies heavily on immigrant workers amid local labor shortages, with many employers tolerating or knowingly employing undocumented laborers. Immigration lawyers and former prosecutors said that human resource departments often turn a blind eye to fake documents or even facilitate them to ensure a steady workforce, though employers rarely face legal consequences.

Pillen’s family-owned business, now managed by his children, operates about 100 farms in Nebraska alone, including a hog-breeding division and an interest in a pork-processing cooperative. Court cases linked to other local meatpacking plants show widespread use of fraudulent identification among workers, underscoring the broader persistence of unauthorized labor in Nebraska’s agricultural sector.

Local officials and former prosecutors assert that community networks support undocumented workers and facilitate their employment, meeting the labor demands of large-scale farming operations. While Pillen Family Farms has not been accused of direct legal wrongdoing in these cases, prosecutors suggest that the scale of identity fraud among employees points to systemic challenges in balancing immigration enforcement with agricultural labor needs.