South Dakota
A high-level overview of immigration enforcement activity, school protection policies, and resources for families and educators in South Dakota.
Overview
State context
South Dakota has a small immigrant population, primarily tied to meatpacking in Sioux Falls and other communities. The state government has been actively hostile to sanctuary policies. ICE enforcement activity is present but limited in scale.
ICE activity
ICE is active in South Dakota, particularly in Sioux Falls and in the beef processing communities of the Missouri River valley.
School policies
No statewide or district-level school protection policies. Sioux Falls schools serve a relatively diverse immigrant and refugee population without formal protections.
Notes for advocates
Sioux Falls has undergone a significant demographic transformation driven by meatpacking industry recruitment, with large communities from Somalia, Nepal, Myanmar, and Latin America. The Sioux Falls School District serves a remarkably diverse student population for a Plains city. Rapid City also has a growing immigrant population.
Is your district protected?
Find out whether your school district has a warrant-based policy in place, and what you can do if it doesn't.