South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has a history of making rabidly anti-immigrant statements and has advocated for anti-LGBTQ+ policies. She regularly claims the border is a “warzone” and that immigration from Mexico is an “invasion,” language directly tied to that of the white nationalist and antisemitic “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. She supported Trump’s “Muslim ban” during his first administration, saying that the U.S. should halt the acceptance of refugees from “terrorist-controlled regions.” In 2024, she sent the South Dakota National Guard to the border, and after two migrants died in an area where Texas Governor Greg Abbott had placed barbed wire, Noem stated that she would “drive him more razor wire from South Dakota ” She’s also created friction with Native American tribes in her state by claiming they work with drug cartels. Noem is also close to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations such as Moms for Liberty. (…) In an unusual move for an American governor, Noem gave the closing speech at the November 2023 Worldwide Freedom Initiative in Paris, France, an event that brought together leaders of far-right parties from France, the United States, Hungary, and other countries. Prominent guests to this event included the French far-right leader of Reconquête (Reconquest), Éric Zemmour, a principal French advocate for the white supremacist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. Other participants to the conference included Quisha King from Moms for Liberty, supporters of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Rodrigo Ballester, Balázs Orbán, and István Kiss, as well as other far-right leaders sympathetic to conspiracy theories related to the “Great Replacement,” the “deep state,” and election denialism. Solomon Yue, the CEO of Republicans Overseas, who organized the event, is known for pushing Oregon Republicans to adopt a resolution claiming the January 6th Capitol insurrection was a “false flag” event intended to “discredit President Trump.”.
via globalextremism: Kristi Noem: Anti-Muslim, Anti-Immigrant Zealot and “Killer” Governor to Lead Homeland Security