Noem, sheriff say DHS guidelines make South Dakota less safe

PIERRE, SD – State  leaders and law enforcement are responding to new guidelines released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to Governor Kristi Noem and some South Dakota law enforcement officers the new guidelines  will make South Dakotans less safe and limit officers’ abilities.

DHS new guidelines limit making arrests at schools, hospitals and other “protected” areas by federal immigration officers. Those areas also include places of worship, areas where children gather such as childcare centers and playgrounds, places of funeral, and ongoing demonstrations, protests or rallies.

In response to the guidelines, Gov. Noem and the South Dakota Sheriffs’ Association released a joint statement condemning the new guidelines for officers.

“Our sheriffs and police cannot legally enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” the statement reads. “We rely on the federal government to do its constitutional duty. These guidelines from Secretary Mayorkas provide an inappropriate roadmap for immigrants who come into our country illegally and avoid the federal law enforcement officers who work to counter illegal immigrants.

The statement continued, “This new policy by DHS makes communities across America – including South Dakota – less safe. This administration is not only rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants, but also handcuffing its own federal law enforcement officers, who want nothing more than to enforce our immigration laws.”

According to Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead, the new guidelines drastically limit federal officers’ abilities to make arrest. That in turn affects how local law enforcement can aid those officers.

He told Dakota News Now in an interview, “Basically, as we read it, the federal immigration officers who enforce the laws have been handcuffed. In particular, dealing with immigration issues or even trying to make an arrest.”

He says the newly released guidelines came as a unwelcome suprise. “To tell the federal officers, ‘You’re not allowed to arrest people in this location, that location.’ We were really taken back by that.” said Milstead.

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