Noem: Mexican cartels are operating in South Dakota
Super majority Republican Legislature stirred by rare joint address
PIERRE — Mexican drug cartels are operating within the borders of South Dakota, endangering its citizens, because the Biden Administration has failed to secure the southern border, Gov. Kristi Noem said Wednesday.
An impassioned speech on the state of the U.S.-Mexico border by Noem honed in on how the crisis thousands of miles away is impacting the Rushmore State, sketching out how she intends to respond.
READ: Noem’s full border address to the Legislature
“The cartels are here in South Dakota, and they are perpetuating violence and criminal activity daily on South Dakota families,” Noem said during a rare joint address to the Legislature. “They are killing our children with their drugs and trafficking.”
Proof of cartel activity could be found especially on South Dakota’s reservations, Noem suggested. The governor credited a spike in murders in the Rapid City area to a gang called the “Ghost Dancers,” whom she said is affiliated with international drug organizations.
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