A Native American tribe in South Dakota lifted its exile Republican Gov. Kristi Noem Fox News Digital approved her nomination as secretary of homeland security in a letter Wednesday.
Tony Reider, president of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, wrote a letter to Noem on Wednesday informing her that the tribe’s executive committee had voted to “lift the banishment” it imposed on Noem in May and offering congratulations her with her appointment to serve in the cabinet of newly elected President Trump.
The letter comes just days before Noem is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for her confirmation hearing.
“I commend and support your nomination by President-elect Donald Trump as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. I wish you the best of luck at your confirmation hearing in the Senate on January 17, 2025, and believe that your commitment to the safety and security of the United States will benefit us all,” Reider’s letter said, according to a copy obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Kristi Noem, Governor of South Dakota and President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, arrives for a meeting with Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., not pictured, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 11, 2024. (Getty Images)
All nine native tribes in South Dakota excluded Noem from their reservations last year after outrage over her suggestion that tribal leaders profit from cartels and the immigration crisis and comments about the future of indigenous children. The Flandreau Santee Sioux tribe was the last tribe to ban it.
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“Their children have no hope. They don’t have parents who show up and help them. They have a tribal council or a president who focuses more on a political agenda than they care about actually making someone’s life better. ” Noem said this last year in a comment that drew criticism from tribes.
Reider addressed the issue in his letter to Noem on Wednesday, explaining that the governor has apologized for her previous comments and clarified her comments.
Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota speaks before former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, takes the stage during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, March 16, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
“One of the provisions in the banishment resolution was that you apologize for comments made about tribal members and the education of tribal members’ children, which were considered offensive by some. At several meetings before and after the resolution was passed, you failed to do so. only explained your position but apologized if the comments offended the tribe. You additionally sought guidance on how to formulate such communications in the future, which the tribe and I appreciated,” Reider wrote.
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Badlands National Park in South Dakota (Bernie Friel/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The letter comes as Noem prepares for her Confirmation hearing in the Senate Friday morning.
Trump announced Noem as his choice to lead DHS shortly after his decisive victory over Kamala Harrisciting the Republican governor’s efforts to secure the southern border, which has been overwhelmed by illegal border crossings under the Biden administration.
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In the months since her appointmentNoem has received support from at least eight police groups or unions, including a union representing thousands of Border Patrol agents.
Republican Governor of Louisiana Jeff Landry also called on Senate lawmakers, especially Democrats, to quickly confirm Noem after a terrorist attack rocked New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, a large, historically Democratic firefighters union, also recently endorsed Noem, arguing that during the raging wildfires in Los Angeles, it “understands emergency management and the importance of government response to emergencies, both caused by nature and by man.
