One tribe in South Dakota lifted its order banning Gov. Kristi Noem from its territories just days before the Republican was set to appear before a U.S. Senate committee on her nomination to head one of the federal government's largest agencies.
Noem was cut off from entering a wide swath of tribal lands in South Dakota early last year after making public comments that tribal leaders were catering to drug cartels on their reservations.
The Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe, one of the state’s nine tribes, issued a statement Tuesday dissolving its order that banned Noem from setting foot on their land and to lend support to her nomination by President-elect Donald Trump to secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“The Governor issued an apology to us for the misunderstanding, which was exacerbated by misinformation,” the tribe's press release reads. “Since our first meeting, the Governor has shown us that she is committed to protecting the people of South Dakota including the citizens of the nine Tribal Nations, who share mutual borders with the state.”
The Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe was not alone in the formal banishment of Noem last year. The Associated Press left messages Wednesday with the other eight tribes in the state to seek information on Noem’s status on their land.
Noem is Trump's pick to head the agency that will be integral to his pledge to secure the border and carry out a massive deportation operation, and she will appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Friday. Her hearing was initially scheduled for Wednesday.
