Kristi Noem deploys South Dakota National Guard to southern border for fifth time

The South Dakota National Guard will be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border for the fifth time later this spring.

That's according to Gov. Kristi Noem's office Tuesday.

“The border is a warzone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.”

The announcement comes after Noem held an unusual joint session of the Legislature in late January to address lawmakers about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, describing it as an "invasion." The Legislature later adopted a resolution expressing its support for Texas and the state's ability to defend itself.

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In Tuesday's announcement, the Governor's Office was stingy with the details of the deployment, citing security reasons. What was included was that 60 national guard soldiers will deploy to the southern border on a rolling basis during a three-month period. Deployments have happened between 2021 and 2023.

The Governor's Office would also not answer if the state is paying for the deployment, or if the state will be reimbursed by Texas, citing security reasons.

Previously, two of the deployments, which cost $1.3 million from the state's Emergency and Disaster Fund, were characterized as a gift to Texas.

“If you look at the amount of dollars that Texas has spent in protection of the southern border, which is a federal government responsibility, it’s over $4 billion,” Noem told South Dakota Searchlight on Feb. 1. “And so they were very clear: ‘You can come and help us, but this will be a financial responsibility that you as a state will need to take on.’”

A third deployment in 2021 cost $1 million and was part of a private donation from a Tennessee billionaire, which resulted in federal law banning private donations being used for interstate National Guard deployments.

Border crossings have skyrocketed during the past year with 249,785 arrests recorded by border patrol agents in December, according to the Associated Press. When including migrant encounters with people who had come to the U.S. via legal pathways, encounters totaled 302,034.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Kristi Noem deploys South Dakota National Guard to southern border