In a significant development highlighting the growing tension between South Dakota's Native American tribes and Governor Kristi Noem, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe has voted to banish the Republican governor from its reservation. This follows recent comments made by Noem regarding tribal leaders benefiting from drug cartels.

The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe affirmed their decision on Tuesday, making them the latest tribe to take action against Governor Noem. Last week, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe also voted to banish her, while the Yankton Sioux Tribe recommended a ban. With these latest developments, Noem is now unwelcome on seven out of the nine reservations in the state, encompassing approximately one-fifth of South Dakota's territory.

The banishment stems from Noem's repeated linking of drug cartels with crime on Native American reservations, aligning herself with former President Donald Trump's strong immigration rhetoric. However, tribal leaders strongly refute these claims, emphasizing that while they may have cartel products such as guns and drugs passing through their communities, they do not harbor actual cartels.

"The ignorance of the governor's office is evident in putting all tribes together and accusing us of being involved in drug cartels," stated Peter Lengkeek, chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, during an interview with NPR.

In response, a spokesperson from Governor Noem's office said that banning her does not address the underlying problem and instead called on tribal leaders to join forces in banishing the cartels from tribal lands. However, several tribal members have accused Noem of political opportunism, labeling her comments as disrespectful and dangerous.

Frank Star Comes Out, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, expressed concern that Native Americans were being used for Noem's political gain. He told the Associated Press, "Our people are being used for her political gain."

This is not the first time Governor Noem has clashed with Native American tribes in her state. She was previously banned by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council over her support of anti-riot legislation during the Dakota Access pipeline protests in 2016. She was also banned during the Covid-19 pandemic when some tribes implemented checkpoints to mitigate the spread of the disease on their reservations.

The controversy surrounding Governor Noem comes at a challenging time for her, as she faces backlash over revelations in her memoir, "No Going Back." In the book, she disclosed shooting and killing her family dog, Cricket, following misbehavior after a pheasant-hunting trip. Additionally, she had to remove an anecdote about meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un from the book after experts raised doubts about its veracity.

As tensions escalate between Governor Noem and Native American tribes in South Dakota, it remains to be seen how this rift will impact the state's political landscape and relations between the government and the tribes moving forward.