PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Kristi Noem approved the deployment of approximately 125 members of the South Dakota National Guard to the southern border between the United States and Mexico. The deployment will take place later this year at the request of the federal government.

“Our South Dakota National Guard is the very best in the country, and they are prepared for the sustained response the national security crisis at our southern border requires,” said Governor Kristi Noem. “I am hopeful that this mission indicates the Biden Administration is waking up to the devastating situation at the border.”

The soldiers are members of the South Dakota National Guard’s 1742nd Transportation Company, stationed in Sioux Falls and Flandreau. These soldiers will be deployed for up to nine to twelve months and will be in a federal pay status. This deployment is in addition to the state active duty deployment that Governor Noem announced last week.

The guard members will provide non-law enforcement support to U.S. customs agents as part of the government’s Southwest Border mission. The Southwest Border mission involves security along the Mexican border in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The request for South Dakota guard members came from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard Bureau. About 3,000 Guard members from several states are involved in this federal mission. For security reasons, additional information about the guard members’ duties will not be provided.