Third South Dakota tribal nation bans Noem from reservation

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has become the third tribal nation to ban South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) from its reservation land.

On Wednesday, the Standing Rock Tribal Council voted to ban Noem from its land for “racially charged” comments she made at town halls events alleging some tribal leaders are “personally benefiting” from Mexican drug cartel activity on reservations, the South Dakota Searchlight reported.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is straddles the border of North Dakota and South Dakota. The governor was banned from two other reservations earlier this year, a trend that started after she delivered remarks on the U.S.-Mexico border in February.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chair Janet Alkire said in a statement that Noem’s attempts to link tribes with the Mexican cartel was “irresponsible” and a “sad reflection of her fear-based politics that do nothing to bring people together to solve problems.”

“Rather than make uninformed and unsubstantiated claims, Noem should work with tribal leaders to increase funding and resources for tribal law enforcement and education,” Alkire’s statement said, reported by the Searchlight.

Alkire called a special meeting after a motion to ban Noem was introduced by Alice Bird Horse and seconded by Cyril Archambault.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe banned Noem in February, shortly after her remarks at the border. Frank Star Comes Out, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said the ban was effective immediately and enacted to protect the safety of the tribe.

The Cheyenne River Sioux also voted to ban Noem last week. The South Dakota governor is now banned from about 10 percent of the land in the state she governs, CNN noted.

In a video posted to social platform X, Noem announced Thursday that she was offering a “history-making opportunity” to the state’s tribes by creating a law enforcement training course over the summer.

“Now, it’s not going to address every single challenge, but this training is a crucial first step towards addressing public safety issues in our tribal communities,” she said.

The governor, in an emailed statement to The Hill, said tribal leaders should immediately banish “the Mexican drug cartels” responsible for crimes on tribal lands.

“The people in communities live with unspeakable horrors and tragedy every day, but banishing me for telling the truth about the suffering does nothing to solve the problems,” she wrote. “It may play well for the leftist media, but in reality, it’s pointless. The real question you should be asking is: ‘Why won’t tribal leaders banish the Mexican drug cartels who are responsible for this devastation?’”

Noem added that she is taking action to increase public safety on reservations and pointed to the law enforcement training and efforts at the federal level.

Hundreds of concerned tribal members have reached out thanking her for her efforts, she said.