South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a MAGA Republican shortlisted as a potential running mate for Donald Trump in November, is now legally barred from visiting some 10 percent of the lands in her home state—and can be thrown out of those places if she violates the order.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council voted on Tuesday to formally banish Noem from its reservation over recent public statements she made suggesting, among other things, that Native American tribal leaders are in league with Mexican drug cartels. Noem also recently accused Native American parents of not being involved enough in their children’s lives, blaming them for poor academic performance in tribal areas.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is the third Lakota tribe in South Dakota to declare Noem persona non grata, following a banishment by the Oglala Sioux announced March 18, and another by the Cheyenne River Sioux announced April 5. The State of South Dakota does not have criminal jurisdiction on any of its nine Native American reservations.
The reservations are a big part of South Dakota. They are sovereign to an extent. Noem was on her way down this road during Covid, when the tribes shut down reservation roads.