PIERRE, S.D. – A private donor is paying for members of the South Dakota National Guard to travel to Mexico to help secure borders between the United States and Mexico.
According to a news release posted on South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s website, the response to sending state national guard troops to Texas is based on Governor Greg Abbott’s request for help to secure the border between the United States and Mexico. “My message to Texas is this: help is on the way,” said Noem in the release.
In late May, Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 32 southern Texas counties. It was revised to 28 after four counties declined to partner with the state. States do share compacts or memorandums of understanding between each other to provide mutual aid for state emergencies.
The Texas governor has also announced the state will continue building a border wall, paying for it with private donations.
The initial deployment to the border will last for between 30 and 60 days, according to the news release. “South Dakota Adjutant General Jeff Marlette and the South Dakota Department of the Military are working with their counterparts in Texas to finalize the details of this mission. The deployment will be paid for by a private donation.”
According to news sources, some state Republican legislators are comparing it to the Governor taking private donations to build a security fence around the Governor’s Mansion in Pierre. Other Republican lawmakers say there is no reason for concern as long as tax dollars aren’t involved in paying for the deployment.
For operational security reasons, specific names of units, number of members, and mission specifics will not be released.
