from the fuck-you-and-the-horse-you-Rhoden-on dept

If there’s something the GOP/MAGA celebration can’t stand, it’s individuals who gained’t fall in line. It overtly courts fascism whereas nonetheless pretending its final concern is the safety of (sure) civil liberties. It cheers on politically motivated prosecutions whereas nonetheless making mouth noises about “activist judges.” It’s a land of contrasts, to make certain. However the US — underneath this management — actually isn’t “a place of honor.”

Earlier this 12 months, the person chosen to fill dog-killer Kristi Noem’s kitten heels after her elevation to DHS Secretary, announced that he was bringing ICE to South Dakota.

Right this moment, Governor Larry Rhoden introduced Operation: Prairie Thunder – a complete, focused public security initiative to guard South Dakotans, particularly within the Sioux Falls metro space.

“We’re retaining South Dakotans robust, secure, and free. Relating to security, one among our largest alternatives to maneuver the needle is correct right here in Sioux Falls, and that’s the place Operation: Prairie Thunder is available in,” stated Governor Larry Rhoden. “We’re taking decisive motion to carry criminals accountable and defend our communities.”

Whew. Seems like rather a lot. This July announcement claimed every kind of fine issues can be taking place when it comes to crime prevention and enforcement. Nevertheless it was really simply extra of the standard “conflict on medication” stuff: saturation patrols, a couple of extra helicopters within the air, and a concentrated effort to spherical up anybody who might have given legislation enforcement the slip whereas paroled or on probation.

However the half that meant essentially the most is that this:

The great effort to help ICE’s work consists of:

  • Equipping the South Dakota Freeway Patrol to help with ICE’s actions to maintain America secure – a partnership that the Governor beforehand obtained;
  • Activating six SDNG troopers to help ICE with administrative features; and
  • Enabling DOC to work with ICE to deport offenders and switch violent offenders for federal incarceration and help ICE with processing and transportation of unlawful alien criminals.

In different phrases, it was only a handy excuse to roll arduous with native legislation enforcement whereas driving shotgun with Trump’s bigots-in-masks kidnappers.

Since this announcement, “Prairie Thunder” has moved previous Sioux Falls and into different cities, together with Yankton, Belle Fourche, and Huron. Press releases and appearances from Governor Rhoden claimed this saturation+ICE had been a huge success.

Troopers jailed 75 individuals in whole throughout the 2 operations, in keeping with the discharge — 42 on drug prices and 33 on non-drug prices — and 19 individuals had been charged with drug offenses however not detained.

The patrol interviewed 25 individuals on behalf of ICE, the discharge stated, 21 of whom had been held for the federal company. 

However plenty of locals in a red-coded state weren’t satisfied this had something to do with actual crime. The cities focused by “Prairie Thunder” weren’t precisely hotbeds of prison exercise. Huron, particularly, is the state’s most numerous metropolis, which raised apparent questions on why it was subsequent on record after the Thunder had rolled via the state’s most-populous metropolis, Sioux Falls.

[T]he November patrols raised considerations for town’s Hispanic neighborhood, in keeping with Republican state Rep.Kevin Van Diepen, who’s additionally a former police chief.

He stated many residents believed that ICE — not state legislation enforcement — was behind the saturation patrols within the metropolis of 14,000.

The governor had by no means introduced this sudden enlargement of this system to different South Dakota cities. Nevertheless it’s clear that Prairie Thunder remains to be an ongoing program. Town of Brookings (pop. 23,377) determined it wasn’t going to play good with ICE or the governor’s want to maintain all of this underneath the radar. An extremely short post on the city’s official website let each resident know what was headed their method, in addition to making it clear town had no want to pitch in with ICE’s deportation efforts:

The Metropolis of Brookings has been made conscious that Operation Prairie Thunder, an anti-crime job drive with the State of South Dakota, will probably be within the Brookings space Dec. 17-19. The Metropolis of Brookings is not going to be collaborating in these operations.

That low-key tip-off was all it took to impress Governor Rhoden to say some really dumb shit into live mics.

The governor voiced his disapproval with town of Brookings Friday afternoon, suggesting that the broadcasting of when and the place stings, saturations or another momentary, concentrated policing will happen undermines legislation enforcement operations — and the women and men finishing up that work.

“For safety causes, we’re not going to touch upon operational specifics. It’s unlucky that the Metropolis of Brookings would jeopardize an anti-crime operation and put the protection of our officers in danger by publishing this info,” he stated in an announcement offered to The Dakota Scout. “In South Dakota, we implement the rule of legislation.”

That is dumb for a number of causes. First, even the mayor of Sioux Falls issued statements distancing himself and his city’s police officers from ICE exercise associated to “Prairie Thunder.” So, even on the preliminary flash-point of the operation, politicians knew it will be dangerous for political enterprise to be considered complicit in ICE raids.

Second, saturation patrols are sometimes introduced forward of time by the cities and legislation enforcement businesses participating in them. We hear radio bulletins for these patrols forward of each main vacation. Native cops additionally let individuals know forward of time in the event that they’re going to be working sobriety checkpoints. None of those notifications have ever been portrayed as “jeopardizing anti-crime operations” by native politicians.

Lastly, go fuck your self, Governor Rhoden. What ICE does has almost nothing to do with the “rule of legislation.” And the administration overseeing ICE solely cares concerning the “rule of legislation” when it must get the Supreme Court to log out on its newest constitutional violations. You’re nothing however a Kristi Noem understudy, which implies you’re incapable (or unwilling) of doing something that doesn’t align precisely with the New MAGA Order.

If ICE needs to carry out a bunch of crimes of alternative in Brookings, it ought to nonetheless find a way to take action even when its officers are being filmed, insulted, or in any other case handled like the pariahs they are. You serve the state, not Donald Trump and his fleeting whims. If it gained’t damage your mind an excessive amount of, attempt to keep in mind that from time to time.

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