Human Impact Project

State-funded Operation Prairie Thunder saturation patrols jailed 75 people across Huron, Belle Fourche, and Yankton — 42 on drug charges and 33 on non-drug charges. Twenty-five people were interviewed on behalf of ICE, with 21 held for the federal agency. The patrols, part of Gov. Larry Rhoden's two-pronged initiative announced in July, generated concern in Huron's Hispanic community, with some residents believing ICE rather than state police conducted the operations.

Drumgoon Dairy, a 6,500-cow operation owned by Rodney and Dorothy Elliott, experienced a federal Department of Homeland Security audit that resulted in the immediate termination of 38 employees in spring 2025. The audit found several workers had inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete documentation regarding citizenship status or work permits. The farm was left with 16 workers after the operation, losing years of accumulated experience and team knowledge built over a decade.

The first state-funded Prairie Thunder saturation patrol resulted in 44 felony drug arrests in Sioux Falls. Federal inmates including ICE detainees had to be moved from Minnehaha County Jail to other facilities to make room. U.S. Marshals and ICE transported 35 people to other regional facilities.

A man in his mid-30s who came to Huron as a teenager without legal status was detained by ICE outside his home in August 2025 and subsequently deported to Guatemala. His wife, a U.S. citizen, and their two children (ages 2 and 9) were left behind. The family had consulted multiple lawyers about obtaining legal status for him but found no feasible options under current law. The man now lives with his parents in Guatemala while his family struggles financially and emotionally in South Dakota.

ICE confirmed an active investigation at Trail King Industries, a trailer manufacturer employing about 500 people at its Mitchell headquarters and 770 total across plants in Mitchell, Yankton, and West Fargo, North Dakota. Tips surfaced about agents being seen at the facility. The company's VP of Human Resources declined to comment.

ICE arrested a witness at the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls while the person was testifying in a trial. The arrest occurred in front of the witness's wife and baby while jurors were on break. The judge immediately declared a mistrial. The Public Defender's Office noted that the witness had been legally subpoenaed and that the defendant is a U.S. citizen, expressing concern that such arrests could deter witnesses from testifying in future cases, particularly in immigrant communities.

ICE agents conducted workplace enforcement actions at Manitou Equipment America and Global Polymer Industries in Madison, South Dakota on May 13, 2025. Eight workers were arrested on immigration violations across the two facilities: two from Nicaragua and one from El Salvador at Manitou Equipment, and three from Nicaragua and two from Guatemala at Global Polymer Industries. All eight were taken into federal custody and are pending deportation proceedings. ICE stated the raids were based on information about illegal employment operations.

Priya Saxena, an Indian graduate student at South Dakota Mines, received notification on April 7, 2025 that her visa was revoked as part of a Trump administration criminal records check of international students. The revocation was triggered by a misdemeanor traffic conviction from 2021 for failing to pull over for an emergency vehicle in Meade County; a related DUI charge from the same traffic stop was dismissed after her blood alcohol tested within the legal limit. Saxena had previously disclosed these legal matters when obtaining her most recent visa in 2022. She filed a temporary restraining order against the government seeking a court order to remain in the country after completing her master's and doctoral degrees at the institution.