Billionaire Funds South Dakota National Guard Deployment To U.S-Mexico Border

Earlier this month, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced that she would deploy 50 of South Dakota’s National Guard troops to the southern border. This deployment will be funded by private donors, according to an Axios report.

Noem declared, “I’m officially announcing up to 50 National Guard troops to Texas to help secure our border.” She added that the Biden-Harris administration has overlooked the uncomfortable truth that a country that can’t secure its border is no longer a sovereign country. “We shouldn’t be making our own communities vulnerable by sending police to fix Biden’s border crisis,” Noem added.

According to Axios, “Tennessee billionaire and high-dollar Republicans” are funding the troop deployment. Ian Fury, a spokesperson for Noem, told Axios that billionaire Willis Johnson’s foundation is providing the funds for this national guard operation. There have been no specifics about the size of the donation or the exact nature of the mission being carried out.

Johnson has a history of funding various Republican campaigns, with former President Donald Trump’s being the most high profile that he’s funded. 

The deployment of troops reflects a growing apprehension among Republicans with regards to the Biden administration’s mishandling of the current crisis at the southern border. 

Noem is not alone in these efforts. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that they would send state law enforcement assets to Texas to help secure the border during a time when the Biden administration has ignored this part of public policy. 

The behavior of a number of red states taking it upon themselves to secure the border is perhaps a sign of a new trend in American politics. Immigration enforcement may perhaps become more decentralized as the federal government loses interest in taking on the matter.

Such a new trend has been something various libertarian commentators have pushed for on numerous occasions. Given the bizarre nature of politics in America these days, states will likely have to pick up the slack and forge ahead with their own innovative policies that reflect their constituents’ desires.

Desperate circumstances do call for policymakers to think outside of the box and come up with their own innovative solutions.

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