SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Ten South Dakota Department of Correction inmates will be deported as part of Operation Prairie Thunder and after approval by the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles Wednesday.
According to a news release from Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, the inmates will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation proceedings, ensuring they are not released back into South Dakota communities.
“South Dakota taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for illegal alien criminals,” Rhoden said in the news release.
The inmates that were paroled for deportation include:
- 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 cooperation between DOC and ICE is uncharted and takes a bit of extra coordination, so I appreciate the Parole Board’s swift action to get illegal alien criminals out of our custody and out of our country. I trust President Trump, Secretary Noem, and the hard-working law enforcement agents of Border Patrol and ICE to keep these individuals from returning to our communities,” Rhoden said in a news release.
DOC identified the inmates based on immigration status, low-risk classification and proximity to sentence completion.
Rhoden said this move is part of Operation: Prairie Thunder which is focused on targeted anti-crime in the Sioux Falls metro and an effort to support the work of ICE in South Dakota.
Last week, 24 people spoke against the state-organized Operation Prairie Thunder imitative during a Sioux Falls City Council meeting.
