South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is taking a stand against Biden’s illegal immigrant relocation extravaganza, indicating her state will not be a part of it.
“South Dakota won’t be taking any illegal immigrants that the Biden Administration wants to relocate. My message to illegal immigrants...call me when you’re an American,” Noem wrote on Twitter.
Her comments come as the Biden administration tirelessly begs states for assistance on housing the illegal immigrants they coaxed across the southern border. Because the situation is escalating insurmountably, the administration is even reportedly flying children across the country to non-border states.
Noem’s move comes shortly after republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds rejected a federal request to host migrant children into her state, stating it’s the “president’s problem.”
“This is not our problem,” Reynolds said. “This is the president’s problem He’s the one that has opened the border, and he needs to be responsible for this and he needs to stop it.”
Iowa’s Department of Human Services made the decision, taking into consideration whether or not the state was equipped to respond to local and federal needs amid economic struggles and the pandemic.
“This is due to limited resources and administrative concerns. We have an obligation to take care of our children first and absent the resources or a clear and comprehensive plan for federal support, we were unable to accommodate the request,” Iowa’s director of Human Services said in a statement to the White House. “We acknowledge this is an incredibly saddening and difficult situation.”
Governors Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska also declined the administration’s request.
McMaster even signed an executive order directing his state to prioritize the needs of children in South Carolina and prevent placement of unaccompanied minors into residential care or foster care facilities, according to the Epoch Times.
“Sending unaccompanied migrant children from the border to states like South Carolina only makes the problem worse,” McMaster wrote on Twitter.
In just March alone, Customs and Border Protection agents encountered over 172,000 illegal immigrants; among those, over 18,800 were unaccompanied minors.
A top HHS official described the situation as “unprecedented” and indicated it’s likely to increase in the coming weeks.
“As an initial matter, it is important to understand that the current influx is not limited to the January-March time period, but is an ongoing challenge that will likely increase in severity in the coming weeks and months,” Cindy Huang, director of HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement wrote in a statement.
