A South Dakota tribe has officially declared Republican Gov. Kristi Noem unwelcome at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Banishment from Tribal Lands
This action follows her recent statements about intensifying border security in Texas with razor wire and additional personnel, alongside her allegations of cartel activities within state reservations.
Safety of the Oyate
In a stern Friday statement, Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out announced Noem’s banishment, citing the safety of the Oyate – a term meaning people or nation.
“Due to the safety of the Oyate, effective immediately, you are hereby Banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux Tribe!” the President declared.
Vice-Presidential Ambitions?
Star Comes Out criticized Noem for politicizing the border issue to support former President Trump’s re-election and possibly to enhance her own vice-presidential prospects.
A Struggle for a Better Life
He highlighted that many arriving at the border, including Indigenous individuals from countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, seek employment and a better life.
A Harsh Approach?
Star Comes Out continued, “They don’t need to be put in cages, separated from their children like during the Trump Administration, or be cut up by razor wire furnished by, of all places, South Dakota,”
Gangs and Drug Spread
He sharply rebuked Noem’s comments in her speech to lawmakers, where she linked the Pine Ridge Reservation’s Ghost Dancers gang to murders and alleged ties with border-crossing cartels spreading drugs in the Midwest.
‘Ghost Dance’ Remark
Star Comes Out expressed profound offense at her misuse of the term ‘Ghost Dance,’ a sacred Oglala Sioux ceremony, deeming it disrespectful and insulting to the Oyate.
He also emphasized the tribe’s sovereignty, independent of South Dakota.
Noem Responds
Responding on Saturday, Noem expressed regret over the political undertones in discussions about federal law enforcement failures at the border and tribal lands.
Seeking Solutions with Tribes
“It is unfortunate that President (Star) Comes Out chose to bring politics into a discussion regarding the effects of our federal government’s failure to enforce federal laws at the southern border and on tribal lands,” Noem stated.
“My focus continues to be on working together to solve those problems.”
Outreach to Native American Leaders
“As I told bipartisan Native American legislators earlier this week, ‘I am not the one with a stiff arm, here. You can’t build relationships if you don’t spend time together,’” she continued. “I stand ready to work with any of our state’s Native American tribes to build such a relationship.”
A State of Emergency
In November, Star Comes Out declared a state of emergency on the Pine Ridge Reservation, citing a rise in crime.
Despite a judge’s acknowledgment last year of the federal government’s treaty obligation to support law enforcement on the reservation, the exact funding level needed remained undetermined.
33 Officers, 100,000 Call
The reservation, facing a surge in gun violence, drug offenses, and rapes, is policed by only 33 officers and eight investigators, tasked with handling over 100,000 emergency calls annually across its vast 5,400-square-mile area.
This area is comparable in size to Connecticut, though its population size is debated.
Criticism for Border Deployments
Noem has sent National Guard troops to the Mexican border three times, following a trend among Republican governors. She faced scrutiny in 2021 for accepting a $1 million donation from a Republican donor to fund a two-month deployment of 48 troops to the border.
Legal but Controversial
The funds, legally transferred from Willis Johnson’s foundation on Tuesday, raise concerns about wealthy individuals leveraging military power for personal political goals. Johnson himself expressed surprise at the widespread media coverage.
Presidential Ambitions in Play?
Noem’s decision, while thrusting her into the limelight and possibly aiding her presidential ambitions, also raises questions about the influence of major donors on government decisions and the extent of GOP governors’ loyalty to Trump.
Political Pawn Allegations
South Dakota State Senator Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, criticized the move, arguing that it makes the guardsmen look like ‘political pawns,’ regardless of the donation’s legality.
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