Gov. Larry Rhoden says he’s extending the deployment of seven national guardsmen assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
The guard members were initially deployed last fall in Sioux Falls and Rapid City to help ICE process deportations. Rhoden said the extension, which is covered by funding from the Trump Administration, will last until next September. The operation was initially announced in the summer of 2025 as part of Operation: Prairie Thunder.
“Our guardsmen, troopers, and corrections officers have delivered exceptional results as they work to keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said in a press release Monday. “I am grateful for their dedication and commitment to protecting our communities. Their efforts are getting illegal alien criminals off our streets and making our state and nation safer.
Since the deployment was announced, the South Dakota National Guard as assisted ICE with 1,013 deportations of people who were in the country illegally, according to the governor’s office.
Rhoden also said Monday the South Dakota Highway Patrol is receiving $480,000 in additional federal funding to support troopers under ICE’s 287G agreement. This comes after the state received $150,000 earlier this year.
"This financial support is directly allocated toward personnel payroll, specialized field equipment, and information technology stipends to support the agency's coordinated enforcement efforts," the press release said.
Currently 38 troopers are enrolled in the program. Officials say they have assisted in 261 immigration-related arrests involving individuals who are in the country illegally who were encountered during routine patrols.
State officials say the South Dakota Department of Corrections is also continuing its work with ICE as part of this state-federal partnership. The DOC has paroled 38 inmates directly into ICE custody, which the governor's office said saved taxpayers an average of over $34,000 in annual cost per inmate.