A new governor-led initiative sparks debate around immigration enforcement, namely at the latest Sioux Falls City Council meeting.
Operation Prairie Thunder’s critics are asking the city to do something.
Sioux Falls city leaders say the public pushback against the city for its role in Operation Prairie Thunder is miscast.
The operation has two components. One is a Sioux Falls-focused pilot program to enhance crime and drug enforcement operations at the local level through a few different means of state assistance. The second part involves state partnerships to help the Department of Homeland Security with their deportation efforts.
Gov. Larry Rhoden explained the second part last month.
“It was a couple months ago I announced that the South Dakota Highway Patrol was signing a 287g agreement with ICE. This allows them to support ICE in their efforts to deport illegal alien criminals. Since then, our troopers have already made six stops to hand over to ICE for processing," Rhoden said. "Shortly after that announcement I talked to Secretary [Kristi] Noem about what more we could do to help. We had several great ideas, and we got to work on planning what was possible here in South Dakota.”
Those conversations led to part two of Operation Prairie Thunder. It equips the Highway Patrol to assist with Immigration and Customes Enforcement actions, activates six South Dakota National Guard soldiers to assist ICE with administrative functions and enables the state DOC to work with ICE to deport offenders and assist ICE with processing and transporting undocumented immigrants.
In the days since the operation was announced, some Sioux Falls community members have expressed outrage over the city’s involvement with ICE and immigration enforcement. But Mayor Paul TenHaken said the city has nothing to do with that part of Operation Prairie Thunder, saying “the misinformation train has run rampant.”
Despite that, Sioux Falls residents are asking him and the city council to act now. That includes one resident who spoke at the meeting but did not identify themself.
“And I understand, I understand it’s a state level issue. I get it. There’s certain things you can’t do. Fine. But there has to be something. You can whisper in their ear, you can talk in the ear of somebody, you can do something. Fall on your sword," they said. "You’re in a contract year essentially right? Risk it all. Fall on the sword completely. Say my political career ends here because what’s right is what’s right. What’s morally right is what’s morally right. Period. Stand up for your constituents. Stand up for the citizens of South Dakota, of the nation.”
Another speaker who identified herself as Sandra asked the city to call for a provision within the city charter called the Home Rule Authority.
“All I'm asking is that you set up a limited local cooperation with ICE that protects residents regardless of immigration status. I am the daughter of immigrants. I am proud of that. And I want to live in Sioux Falls that protects families, not just some. I am here tonight to voice for my community, those who are afraid to speak whose rights are being violated and stripped away all over across the country," Sandra said. "We are not criminals. We are not rapists. We are not drug dealers. We are your neighbors. We are your small business owners. We are the doctors, the truck drivers, the caregivers. We are a part of the fabric of this city, and please stand with us.”
City Councilor Rich Merkouris said, according to the city attorney, that’s not something that applies here.
“Under South Dakota law, Home Rule Authority must comply with state and the federal constitutions and cannot conflict with federal or state law. As stated in Article 9, Section 2 of the South Dakota Constitution, ‘a chartered governmental unit may exercise any legislative power or perform any function not denied by its charter, the Constitution, or the general laws of the state,’" Merkouris said. "Our city’s Home Rule charter does not grant us the authority to enact measures that conflict with state or federal law, nor does it permit us to obstruct state or federal law enforcement operations.”
He added that a new law bans any sanctuary cities or laws that inhibit some immigration enforcement operations.
Sudanese immigrant and Sioux Falls resident Gisma Ali addressed the council reflecting on her journey to citizenship. She said she went from Sudan to Libya, to Malta, to Italy and then her papers were approved to come to the US.
“I’m very proud to say that now I am a citizen, but the process is not easy, for myself or my parents. And yet, I’ve never been in so much fear in my life. I have a lot of community members that are coming to me for assistance for help because everyone’s in fear right now whether you’re documented or not, we have seen the news," Ali said. "We have seen people have been stripped of their rights or legal statuses. So this does not just affect the undocumented but is affecting everyone in general in the community.”
However, at the beginning of the meeting, Police Chief Jon Thum reinforced the idea that nothing with ICE is changing at the local level.
"Again, we were clear from the start that we aren’t interested in expanding our role or doing anything different than we have been doing in regard to ICE or immigration or things of that nature,” Thum said.
He said their part in Operation Prairie Thunder is to address drugs, street racing and other local crime.
