In his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump has upheld his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration in the United States, and that includes South Dakota.
Here is a snapshot of some of the ways the immigration issue is playing out in the Rushmore State, with details below:
- The Minnehaha County sheriff confirms that more federal immigration detainees from South Dakota are showing up in the Sioux Falls jail.
- Misinformation about immigration enforcement is rampant, and many immigrants in Sioux Falls are worried for their freedom, one advocate said.
- U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson said that people from other countries who are here legally should have nothing to worry about amid the increase in federal immigration enforcement.
- The Sioux Falls School District, the most diverse school system in the state, is trying to assure parents and students that education will continue as normal.
- A Rapid City Mexican restaurant is fighting back against false rumors that the eatery was raided by federal immigration officers.
Milstead: Immigration enforcement on rise in SD
Efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants with criminal warrants have stepped up in South Dakota since Trump took office, and it's likely that some illegal immigrants without criminal charges are also being detained, said Minnehaha County Sheriff Michael Milstead.
In a two-day period in the last week of January, six people on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers were brought to the Minnehaha County Jail for processing and holding for up to 48 hours, he said. Of those six detained locally, at least two were known to have active local warrants, Milstead said.
Even though he has no hard data, Milstead said he expects that many more illegal immigrants have been detained in recent weeks in South Dakota, either those held at the Minnehaha County Jail or some who were immediately sent to ICE facilities outside the state.
Stu Whitney
Milstead said that as federal authorities apprehend immigrants with criminal warrants, they are also arresting anyone they encounter who is not in the country legally.
Milstead said his department has had two immigration-related federal partnerships in place for years. In one cooperative effort, information on foreign arrestees is shared with federal authorities and in the other, fingerprints of those individuals are shared with ICE.
“There has been no sweeping change in what we do, but in fact, we’ve seen a significant increase in those ICE holds and it’s obviously because of the change in the priorities of the new (Trump) administration,” he said. “If you work for the federal government in any Homeland Security division, you’ve been really busy the last few weeks because there’s been a 180-degree change in priorities. And the priority now is to apprehend those individuals who pose a danger to our community.”
Milstead, who chairs the drug enforcement committee of the National Sheriff’s Association, said he recently met with top immigration and drug enforcement officials from the federal government.
One goal of stronger immigration enforcement is to reduce the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the country at international borders in the southwestern U.S., to the north with Canada and on the Florida coast, he said.
“While they’re two different issues, immigration enforcement and drug enforcement, we know they are related,” Milstead said. “We know (drug cartels) are targeting migrants coming across the border to carry these drugs, and targeting them for human trafficking, child exploitation and labor trafficking, or anything else they’re doing to try to build their cartel infrastructure.”
Milstead said local and county law enforcement officers are not empowered to conduct immigration investigations on their own, but his agency will continue to assist federal authorities in their efforts.
Milstead said he is working with community leaders in Minnehaha County to share what he knows about the ongoing immigration enforcement efforts.
An extensive video he released on social media recently to answer questions about local immigration enforcement has tens of thousands of views, he said.
“There was a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. “We were hearing stories that the police and sheriffs offices were swooping in and dragging women and children out of homes, and that just isn’t the truth."
Advocate: Immigrants worried across the state
Sioux Falls immigration attorney and civic leader Taneeza Islam said that even though she has not heard of any major immigration raids or sweeps in South Dakota, many immigrants are fearful they might be somehow caught up in the immigration crackdown.
“People are terrified,” she said. “They’re not going to work, they’re not sending their kids to school, they’re not getting medical services, they’re not going to social events such as soccer practice or other events.”
Islam is the CEO of South Dakota Voices for Peace and also is an organizer of the South Dakota Dream Coalition, a consortium of groups that advocate for underserved populations, including immigrants.
Islam said she has heard from many immigrants who are worried they might be targeted by federal authorities. Most concerns have come from Sioux Falls but also in other areas of the state, including from employees of hotels and construction firms in particular, she said.
Misinformation being spread on social media about the severity of the crackdown is leading to greater anxiety, Islam said.
“There’s a lot of fear but also an exponential amount of disinformation and misinformation that everyone is seeing on social media. And that is exacerbating the fears,” she said.
Islam and her advocacy colleagues have posted some online videos, in both English and Spanish, to provide accurate information to the community. One video was the sit-down with Sheriff Milstead that has received significant audience engagement.
The biggest message Islam wants to send right now is for immigrants to know their rights under the law, including to demand a warrant from a federal agent trying to enter a property and to know they can remain silent and request an attorney.
“Our position is that we can’t outpace misinformation, but what we can do is provide true and accurate information,” she said. “(And) if we can make ICE follow the rules and laws, then everyone will be within their rights.”
Sioux Falls schools tempering concerns
The Sioux Falls School District has taken steps to alleviate concerns or fears that students or parents might have amid the heightened focus on immigration enforcement in the state and nation.
District spokeswoman DeeAnn Konrad told News Watch that the school district wants everyone to know that the district has a commitment to teach all students regardless of any outside forces or messaging.
"We want to make sure our families know that we are here for teaching and learning and we’re going to do that regardless of everything that’s happening in the political world and with law enforcement,” Konrad said.
The Sioux Falls school system, where an estimated 106 languages are spoken, is highly diverse in student population. The 2024 district demographic report indicates that 44.6% of the 24,201 students in 2024 were non-white, including Hispanic students that made up 16.5% of the overall enrollment.
Konrad said the district does not survey parents or students about their legal immigration status when developing its demographic reports.
“We have no need to ask that question because we’re required by law to educate all students and we will do that,” she said. “We try to make sure our (district employees) are controlling what you can control, and that is that when kids show up at school, we can love them and teach them.”
In Huron, legal immigrants worry
Diana Vianey Pineda, a 31-year-old native of Guerrero, Mexico, came to South Dakota in 2015 to work at the Dakota Provisions meat processing plant in Huron. She and her husband started their own piñata business, Piñatas La Mexicanahas, in 2021.
Pineda was part of an influx that gave Beadle County the highest percentage of Hispanic residents in the state at 14.3%. She told News Watch that Hispanic residents are on edge because of recent immigration crackdowns.
"Unfortunately in Huron, we are having a big problem," she said. "The Hispanic community does not go out, for fear of being detained by immigration, even if they're legal."
Rapid City restaurant fights ICE rumors
Owners of a Mexican restaurant in Rapid City took to Facebook to counter rumors that it had been raided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The owner of Albertano’s Mexican Restaurant posted a message on Facebook on Jan. 28 labeled “FALSE INFORMATION” and went on to say that other social media postings about a government raid at the restaurant were not true.
“It has come to our attention that people are posting things that ICE took our employees and ICE has been to our premises. This information is totally false. I don't know what intention people are doing this because we've been the only Mexican restaurant mentioned in this whole thing,” Maria Santana wrote.
The post also noted that “just because we are Mexican does not mean we are undocumented.”
The Facebook post by Albertano’s has since drawn more than 200 likes and 50 comments, many from customers who said they support the restaurant and will continue to patronize it, perhaps with more frequency.
“I have not been to your restaurant yet, but I will make a point of it in support of you,” one woman posted. “So sorry people have targeted you for misinformation.”
Rep. Dusty Johnson: Only illegal immigrants need worry
U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson told News Watch that foreigners who are in the country legally should not be worried about law enforcement actions.
"Americans who are here illegally, understand they're here illegally," Johnson said Saturday in an interview with News Watch in Rapid City. "Every day I'm talking to people who were not born in America, and those people were here legally. Overwhelmingly, the sense I get from them is that they know they don't have anything to fear."
The Republican said that ICE has focused its deportation efforts on illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
"A substantial proportion of the people they have picked up have been folks with criminal records," he said. "I think ICE has done a good job of getting in and understanding who has been here has been adjudicated, who has been found guilty and who has not been deported because of the policies of this (former President Joe Biden's) administration. So I do think they've been trying to do some pretty good work in targeting."
'Sanctuary city' bill moves forward quickly
Lawmakers from both chambers of the South Dakota Legislature have passed a bill that would prevent the state or any municipality from enacting laws or ordinances that prevent law enforcement agents or residents from cooperating with federal immigration officials or that grants an illegal immigrant legal status.
Senate Bill 7 was passed 35-0 by the Senate on Jan. 24 and carried 62-6 in the House of Representatives on Feb. 3. The measure seeks to prevent the creation of so-called sanctuary cities, which in some other states have become local safe havens for undocumented immigrants. As of Feb. 4, the measure awaited only the governor's signature before becoming law.
Investigative reporter Stu Whitney contributed to this story, which was produced by South Dakota News Watch, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at sdnewswatch.org and sign up for an email to get stories when they're published. Contact Bart Pfankuch at bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
