Gov. Pillen of Nebraska: ‘There’s no way I could possibly be governor without my faith’

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gov. Jim Pillen of Nebraska is “full of extraordinary gratitude” to not only be Nebraska’s leader but also to simply be alive.

Pillen, 70, a native of Columbus, Nebraska, began his State of the State address at the National Governors Association 2026 Winter Meeting held in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 19–21, by recalling a horseback riding accident that nearly killed him last year. He told EWTN News in an exclusive interview Feb. 19 that “it was an extraordinary faith moment.”

“I call it a life-giving moment, because if I had fallen a couple of inches the wrong way, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “I’m just full of extraordinary gratitude, and am pretty convinced the good Lord said, ‘I need more of you, and I have plans for you to do things,’ so I’m just trying to be an obedient servant.”

Pillen’s accident, from which he said he recovered quickly, is not his first near-death encounter. He recalled an incident that made a significant impact on his life when he was 15 years old. A friend of his was killed in a farming incident.

“I was supposed to ride in to work and ride the rack that day,” he said. “But it was the state county fair, and I hadn’t been the last day.” Pillen’s friend, Tom Vandenberg, filled in for Pillen that day instead.

“You sit there and then think of that, that [it was] 55 years ago, and it’s like it was yesterday,” he said, visibly emotional. Vandenberg had been a talented football player, Pillen said. “He started as a freshman. Nobody ever had.”

Pillen attributes his life’s trajectory since Vandenberg’s passing to “God’s grace.”

Faith and governance

Nebraska’s governor since January 2023, Pillen described himself as “not a politician” by trade, and said: “There is no way I could possibly be governor without my faith.”

He emphasized his love for the Catholic Church and its disciplines, noting his own devotion to praying the rosary. He described his day as “really simple,” telling EWTN News: “I get up and I pray to do God’s will.”

Reflecting on how his faith has influenced his governance, Pillen said: “Pro-life is everything.”

Citing pro-life victories in 2024 ballot initiatives, Pillen praised faith-based communities across his state for helping spearhead the effort that eventually enshrined protections for unborn babies at 12 weeks. “We can take it lower, and we’re going to in ’27,” he said.

Pillen said he thought it was “absolutely unbelievable” that embryology was not being taught in public schools. He acknowledged “discussions taking place” about efforts to pass legislation requiring education on fetal development in Nebraska public schools, saying: “I’m 100% behind it and am supportive of it.”

“I’m really, really proud of the work that’s happening in Nebraska across our state and so many communities and so many organizations,” Pillen said. “People are rolling up their sleeves — and that’s what’s so awesome about the culture of love and life we have in Nebraska: When there’s a problem, and we understand it, we come together and get after it.”

“So, there’s awesome stuff going on in the pro-life community and within the Catholic Church,” he said.

Adherence to Catholic teaching on immigration

Pillen has faced backlash for his transformation of a low-security prison into an immigration detention facility in McCook, Nebraska, which has been dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink,” in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Former Nebraska Sen. DiAnna Schimek and others filed a lawsuit against Pillen challenging his right to convert the facility without legislative approval, and Pillen acknowledged “anxiety” among McCook residents about the facility.

“We got smart people on our team, [and] we had every right to do what we did,” he said.

Describing his motivation to work with the Trump administration on enforcement, Pillen cited his experience traveling to the southern border, which he said he has done four times, and meeting the governor of Texas early into his own term as governor. Having seen what was permitted to take place under the previous administration, Pillen said “it was not an immigration issue” but “a criminal activity of floods of people coming in with synthetic methamphetamines from China, fentanyl from Venezuela, and sex trafficking.”

Ultimately, he said that “the hard-core reality of why we did what we did was totally focused on the safety of our state.” Pillen cited an incident involving a Nicaraguan immigrant who opened fire on and injured three police officers.

Pillen noted that prior to the detention facility’s transformation, immigrants who were being detained were placed in county jails, which he said was not the county government’s job to pay for. In addition, he said, these facilities were “not very secure.”

While Pillen said he supports Trump’s efforts to secure the border and deport immigrants who have committed serious crimes, he noted that he is not concerned with “somebody that has a misdemeanor because they crossed the border illegally.”

“We’re talking about people that are harming our communities, that are threats to our communities,” he said. “We’re not talking about somebody that came to Nebraska 25 years ago illegally and has been working.” Pillen said it is “the federal government’s job” and “Congress’ job” to “solve that problem.”

“They’ve been messing around with it for 45 years,” he said of Congress’ attempts to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

He added: “My response is really simple. I hear the bishops loud and clear, and I agree [about preserving] human dignity … But at the same time, it’s not our responsibility to take care of these criminals. We need to get them off of our streets and get them sent back home.”

America at 250: ‘Holy cow’

Reflecting on the United States of America at 250 years old, Pillen said his primary emotion was, again, “extraordinary gratitude.”

“We are so blessed to live in the most extraordinary country in the history of civilization since before the time of Christ,” he said. “I think it’s really, really important that we take some moments in our 250th anniversary and get things in perspective. How did this happen? Who risked everything to create this extraordinary place and opportunity of life, liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness all under God’s will? Holy cow.”

Pillen’s approach to life has become increasingly simple, he said. As such, his main concern for Nebraska and the nation at large is technology and social media.

“These dumb phones are messing with all of us,” he said. “These [phones] are dark; these [phones] are evil.”

“It’s really important in our 250th anniversary that we really go back to understanding how we have built relationships before these dumb things,” he said. “We sat down and we talked, eyeball-to-eyeball.”

He added: “We have to get back to making sure that we have civil discourse, civil engagement, and respect each other. That just comes by spending time building relationships. Relationships [are] the name of the game, in my view, for the 250th anniversary of the country.”