South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been banned from the Pine Ridge Reservation by the Oglala Sioux Tribe after she made controversial statements about sending razor wire and security personnel to the U.S.-Mexico border to combat immigration. The tribe's president, Frank Star Comes Out, accused Noem of using the border issue to boost her chances of becoming former President Donald Trump's running mate. Star Comes Out also expressed his deep offense at Noem's remarks about the Ghost Dance, a sacred ceremony of the Oglala Sioux, which she claimed was affiliated with border-crossing cartels. He emphasized that drug and human trafficking are occurring throughout South Dakota, not just on Indian reservations.

In response, Noem stated that it is unfortunate that President Star Comes Out brought politics into the discussion and that her focus remains on working together to solve the problems caused by the federal government's failure to enforce laws at the border and on tribal lands. She expressed her willingness to build a relationship with the Native American tribes in the state.

This banishment comes in the midst of a growing border crisis under President Joe Biden's administration, according to Noem. She has deployed National Guard troops to the Mexican border three times, along with other Republican governors. Noem has been criticized for accepting a $1 million donation from a Republican donor to cover the cost of a two-month deployment of troops.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe has been facing increasing crime on the Pine Ridge Reservation, leading Star Comes Out to declare a state of emergency. A federal judge ruled last year that the federal government has a treaty duty to support law enforcement on the reservation, but did not rule on the funding level requested by the tribe.

Noem's banishment from the Pine Ridge Reservation highlights the ongoing tensions between the state government and Indigenous tribes, as well as the broader debate over immigration and border security in the United States.