South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Banned From Setting Foot in 7,578.9 Square Miles of South Dakota

Fresh off a teeth-based scandal in which she appeared to do an infomercial for an out-of-state dentist office, Kristi Noem has been banned from setting foot in approximately 10% of the state she oversees as governor of South Dakota. And not in, like, a casual “please stay away, lady” sense but in a “could be thrown out for trespassing” manner.

The Daily Beast reports that Noem, who is on a short list of possible Donald Trump running mates, has been officially legally barred from visiting three separate reservations that comprise roughly 10% of South Dakota’s 75,789.6 square miles of land area. On Tuesday, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council voted to bar her from its reservation, following Noem’s claims that Mexican drug cartels “have been successful in recruiting tribal members to join their criminal activity” and that “some tribal leaders…are personally benefiting from the cartels being here.” (She has also suggested that Native Americans don’t care about their children being successful.) The move by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe follows similar ones from the Oglala Sioux and the Cheyenne River Sioux.

In a statement, Lakota People’s Law Project director Chase Iron Eyes said, “It’s not acceptable for Kristi Noem to lie repeatedly, stoke further division, and endanger the people of the sovereign nations which pre-exist the United States and South Dakota, which have illegally annexed and occupied sovereign territory of the Oceti Sakowin. Noem is now prohibited from entering sovereign territory of Sioux bands and is subject to detention and/or removal if she violates banishment orders, meaning the state’s governor is barred from entering more than 10 percent of all land her state claims is within its ‘borders.’” Standing Rock Sioux Tribe chairwoman Janet Alkire called Noem’s remarks “wild and irresponsible,” adding: “Rather than make uninformed and unsubstantiated claims, Noem should work with tribal leaders to increase funding and resources for tribal law enforcement and education.”

A spokesman for the governor told The Daily Beast: “Banishing Governor Noem does nothing to solve the problem. She calls on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands.”

In February, Trump confirmed that Noem was on a short list of candidates he is considering adding to his 2024 ticket.

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