Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Ten South Dakota Department of Correction inmates will be deported as part of Operation Prairie Thunder, following approval from the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles on Wednesday.
According to Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s news release, the inmates will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation proceedings, ensuring that they are not released back into South Dakota communities.
“South Dakota taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for illegal alien criminals,” Rhoden stated in a press release.
The inmates who were paroled for deportation are:
- Jose Sanchez #78283, Mexico, multiple counts of Possession Controlled Substance (Schedule I & II);
- Yahia Hassan #77076, Sudan, multiple counts of Possession Controlled Substance (Schedule I & II), 3rd Degree Burglary, and Receiving/Transferring Stolen Vehicle;
- Patrick Morris #78412, Liberia, Grand Theft < $2,500 and 1st Degree Burglary;
- Dustin Buffalo #73336, Canada, Reckless Burning and Aggravated Assault;
- Mohammed Kromah #69826, Liberia, Aggravated Assault;
- Victor Pacheco #72401, Mexico, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Weapon in Jail;
- Deng Ayom #69779, Sudan, Discharge of Firearm at Occupied Structure;
- Mustafe Hamud #57019, Somalia, Distribution of Controlled Substance (Schedule I & II);
- Miguel Caveda Perez #77916, Cuba, 4th Degree Rape; and
- Bereket Mekonnen #77412, Ethiopia, 2nd Degree Burglary, Possession Controlled Substance (Schedule I & II), and Receiving/Transferring Stolen Vehicle.
“This collaboration between DOC and ICE is unprecedented and requires additional coordination, so I applaud the Parole Board’s quick action to get illegal alien criminals out of our custody and out of our country. “I trust President Trump, Secretary Noem, and the hardworking law enforcement agents of Border Patrol and ICE to keep these people from returning to our communities,” Rhoden said in a statement.
The DOC identified the inmates based on their immigration status, low-risk classification, and proximity to sentence completion.
Rhoden stated that this move is part of Operation: Prairie Thunder, which focuses on targeted anti-crime in the Sioux Falls metro and supports ICE’s work in South Dakota.
At a Sioux Falls City Council meeting last week, 24 people spoke out against the state-organized Operation Prairie Thunder imitative.
