Gov. Kristi Noem to deploy South Dakota National Guard troops to Texas border

Gov. Kristi Noem said Monday that she will be sending South Dakota National Guard troops to the nation’s southern border to help law enforcement contend with a surging migrant crisis.

In a Tweet Monday evening, Noem said that up to 50 soldiers would be part of the deployment. The governor's office announced Tuesday morning that the deployment would last between 30 to 60 days and that it would be paid for by "private donation."

"I'm officially announcing up to 50 National Guard troops to Texas to help secure our border," she said. "The Biden Administration has failed to keep America safe. We shouldn't be making our own communities vulnerable by sending police to fix Biden's border crisis."

On June 10, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent a letter to other governors invoking the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a compact that allows states to get help from other states during a time of emergency. Abbott and Ducey are both Republicans.

The letter warned other governors that while Texas and Arizona were “ground zero” for the crisis, other states would see spillover. It warned of increases in human trafficking and deadly drugs, including fentanyl.

“Given the staggering number of violations now occurring in Texas and Arizona, additional manpower is needed from any state that can spare it,” the letter said. “With your help, we can apprehend more of these perpetrators of state and federal crimes, before they can cause problems in your state.”

Besides law enforcement, the two states are searching for other law enforcement resources, including helicopters and drones.

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Once invoked, the compact affords out-of-state officers operating in Texas and Arizona with the same duties as domestic law enforcement personnel, including the power to make arrests.

“Crucially,” the letter said, “this will include the power to arrest migrants who illegally cross the border into our territory. Many of these crossings involved state-law crimes, such as criminal trespassing or smuggling of persons.”

Noem joins other Republican governors, including Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who have pledged dozens of additional law enforcement officers to help their counterparts in Texas and Arizona.

Noem's Tweet did not specify which units the Guard soldiers would be drawn from.

Noem said Tuesday that the deployment would be paid by a private donor, with the mission lasting 30 to 60 days. Her spokesman, Ian Fury, confirmed that the Willis and Reba Johnson's Foundation from Franklin, Tennessee was the donor.

Democratic state Sen. Reynold Nesiba said the fact Noem was using a private donor to pay for the deployment showed it was not a “ real priority” for the state, but instead gave her “political cover.” He said he was looking into whether using a private donation to fund the deployment is legal.

“This could set a dangerous precedent to allow anonymous political donors to call the governor and dispatch the Guard whenever they want,” he said.

-- Associated Press