A South Dakota tribe has banned Gov. Kristi Noem from approaching their land following comments she made about the deepening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Republican Noem, 52, was “banned” from the Pine Ridge Reservation after she said she wanted to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help discourage migrants from crossing into the US.
The tribe’s president, Frank Star Comes Out, said Friday, “For the safety of the Oyate, you are hereby banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, effective immediately!”
He accused Noem of using the border crisis to help Trump get re-elected.
Star Comes Out said of the migrants entering the US: ‘They don’t have to be put in cages, separated from their children like during the Trump administration, or cut open by razor wire supplied by, of all places, South Dakota .’
Republican Noem, 52, was barred from the Pine Ridge reservation after she said she wanted to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help deter migrants
The tribe’s president, Frank Star Comes Out, said Friday, “For the safety of the Oyate, you are hereby banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, effective immediately!”
Noem said Wednesday that a “gang” calling itself the Ghost Dancers is killing people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. But the leader took serious offense to this.
The governor said, “Murders are being committed by cartel members on the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City, and a gang called the ‘Ghost Dancers’ is affiliated with these cartels.
“They have managed to recruit tribesmen for their criminal activities.”
However, the tribal leader said Ghost Dance is one of the “sacred ceremonies” of the Oglala Sioux in their community — and he said her reference to it was “used with blatant disregard and is insulting to our Oyate.”
Oyate is a word for people or nation.
Star made it clear in this scathing message to Noem that the Oglala Sioux Tribe is a “sovereign nation that is neither a Democrat nor a Republican tribe.”
In response to the ban, Noem said, “In my first year as governor, I repeatedly visited Pine Ridge to work on relations between the State of South Dakota and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
“It is unfortunate that President Sar Comes Out has chosen to drag politics into a discussion about the consequences of our federal government’s inability to enforce federal laws at the southern border and on tribal lands.
“I have been working on building relationships with our tribes for years.
Pictured: Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
Star made it clear that the Oglala Sioux Tribe is a ‘sovereign nation that is neither a Democrat nor a Republican tribe’
Pictured: Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The tribe has banned Gov. Kristi Noem from coming near their land following comments she made about the deepening crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“In my speech before the Legislature earlier this week, I told the truth about the devastation that drug and human trafficking are having on our state and our people.
“The Mexican cartels aren’t just impacting our tribal reservations; they impact every community, from our big cities to our small towns.
“But our tribal reservations are bearing the brunt in South Dakota. Stating this fact is in no way intended to blame the tribes; they are the victims here. They are victims of cartel-driven criminal activity, and they are victims of the federal government’s inaction.
“I thank President Star Comes for his service in our nation’s military. As I told bipartisan Native American lawmakers earlier this week, “I’m not the stiff-armed one here. You can’t build relationships if you don’t spend time together.’
“I stand ready to work with all Native American tribes in our state to build such a relationship.”
Star Comes Out declared a state of emergency for the Pine Ridge Reservation last November due to rising crime.
Meanwhile, a record 302,000 migrants were intercepted crossing the southern border in December, 19 of them on the FBI’s terrorist watch list.
The shocking figure was shared with ABC News and is the highest ever recorded. A source who shared the figure said the number is preliminary and could change.
They will deal another blow to President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign as he struggles to tackle the crisis, consistently ranked as one of voters’ top concerns.
In response to the ban, Noem said, “In my first year as governor, I repeatedly visited Pine Ridge to work on relations between the State of South Dakota and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.”
The preliminary numbers were released as Texas National Guard soldiers continued to fortify the border with razor wire in defiance of the Biden administration’s ban on doing so — with South Dakota’s GOP Governor Kristi Noem also getting involved .
It comes just days after the SCOTUS ruled against Republican Governor Greg Abbott, saying the Biden administration could remove the barriers.
Federal government officials say the wire fences endanger security and hinder rescue efforts, while the state says it stems the flow of migrants.
Appearing at Eagle Pass earlier this week Friday, South Dakota Governor Kristi called out President Biden for refusing to defend the country “from invasion.” She also called the area a “war zone.”
Previously, Customs and Border Protection reported 302,034 encounters with migrants in December – the highest month on record.
CBP also reported that 19 people on the FBI’s terror watchlist were arrested in December, bringing the total to date to 50 arrests for fiscal year 2024.
Speaking to Fox News, Noem told the newspaper: “I am incredibly proud of Texas and the actions they are taking.
‘They are protecting their state sovereignty. This is Texas country. Shelby Park belongs to the state of Texas.
“It’s part of the United States of America and the president refuses to defend it from invasion.
“Today was the deadline President Biden gave Texas to begin cutting the razor wire. None of that happened here today.
“As Governor of South Dakota, I see the consequences of Joe Biden ignoring federal law and allowing this invasion in my home state every day.
“The trafficking of human beings and drugs that cross this border come into my state through my travel reservations and devastate my people.
“I’m proud to be here working with the governor and his people to keep America safe.”
Noem and Abbott have both been touted as future presidential candidates — with Noem a possible vice presidential candidate later this year.
Noem had issued a press release detailing her decision to travel to “the war zone.”
It said: ‘This is about our Constitution. This is about us standing united. “I’m going to be at the border tomorrow to tell the Texas National Guard that not only are we with them, but we have stayed with them for the last several years.”