Gov. Kristi Noem is deploying South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border.
Sixty soldiers will deploy to Texas for three months later this spring, Noem's office announced Tuesday.
Noem said the soldiers’ primary mission is construction of a wall to stem the flow of migrants.
“The border is a warzone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said in a press release. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.”
It’s the fifth time Noem has sent soldiers to the border in two-and-a-half years.
The state has spent $2.2 million on border deployments. A donor has paid for $1 million of the cost.
A spokesperson for Noem said the deployment will get paid for out of the Emergency and Disaster Fund. That fund has been used to finance other deployments to the border.
Noem has been critical of President Joe Biden’s approach to securing the border. Noem was also a vocal critic of a Senate package on border security and immigration reform.
