ICE makes 8 arrests in South Dakota city where Noem was subjected to a protest three days earlier

Joshua Haiar, Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight

U.S. immigration officials conducted a “worksite enforcement action” that resulted in eight arrests Tuesday in Madison, three days after their boss, Kristi Noem, was subjected to a protest in the same South Dakota city.

At least one of the two targeted businesses, Manitou Equipment, was awarded financial support from the state while Noem was governor.

The media office for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a written statement that the agency’s action was at Manitou and also at Global Polymer Industries “in response to information or allegations received by ICE Homeland Security Investigations.”

ICE later issued a news release saying two people from Nicaragua and one from El Salvador were arrested at Manitou, and three from Nicaragua and two from Guatemala were arrested at Global Polymer. The release alleged that all eight people were in the country illegally and said they’re being held by ICE pending deportation proceedings.

The news release did not say whether the businesses would face consequences, but they were criticized in a statement from ICE Homeland Security Investigations St. Paul Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt.

“Employers who knowingly hire individuals without legal work authorization not only undermine our nation’s immigration laws but also exploit vulnerable populations,” Holt’s statement said. “These enforcement actions make it clear: illegal hiring practices aren’t limited to major metropolitan areas — they are happening in small towns across rural America, and we will continue to hold violators accountable, wherever they operate.”

In response to follow-up questions from South Dakota Searchlight, an ICE spokesperson said “this is all the information I can provide at this time.” Madison Mayor Roy Lindsay Jr. said Tuesday when reached by phone that he was out of town and suggested calling Police Chief Justin Meyer, who said all questions should go to ICE.

ICE’s statement said it enforces business compliance with federal employment eligibility requirements, and has the responsibility to conduct worksite enforcement initiatives “targeting employers who violate employment laws.”

“During these operations, any alien determined to be in violation of U.S. immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention, and, if ordered removed by an immigration judge or other authority, subject to removal from the United States,” the statement said.

Action follows protest

Noem delivered the commencement address and received an honorary degree Saturday at Dakota State University in Madison. Around 200 demonstrators gathered outside the graduation ceremony to protest the actions of Noem and the Department of Homeland Security that she leads, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.

The protesters were especially concerned about the targeting of more than 1,000 international students nationwide, including one at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City — Priya Saxena — who is suing the government after it revoked her visa.

Her revocation was triggered by a criminal records check that turned up a four-year-old misdemeanor traffic conviction against her, and a charge of driving under the influence from the same traffic stop that was dropped after a test showed her blood-alcohol content to be within the legal limit. On Tuesday morning, while ICE was making arrests in Madison, Saxena was participating in a court hearing in Rapid City, where she’s seeking an order preventing further immigration enforcement against her.

Anden Wieseler is a member of the Dakota State University Student Senate who opposed Noem’s invitation to the university and helped organize Saturday’s protest. He wasn’t surprised by news of the immigration enforcement action.

“I had several conversations with members of the DSU student body and a lot of us kind of expected something like this to happen after bringing Kristi Noem to Madison,” Wieseler said.

A student who graduated Saturday, Carter Gordon, said the dual immigration enforcement action in Madison “reeks of retribution.”

“You could make the argument that they would’ve happened even had she not been protested, but it feels very vengeful,” Gordon said.

The nonprofit South Dakota Voices for Peace, which advocates for immigrants, is trying to gather information about the arrests and affected families. The nonprofit works with local rapid-response observers around the state, including one that reported seeing ICE helicopters Tuesday morning in Madison.

Chief Executive Director Taneeza Islam said the group’s main initial worry is whether the arrested people have children, and where they are.

“These kids are our top concern at the moment,” Islam said.

About the companies

One of the companies targeted, Manitou, is a France-based global manufacturer of construction equipment. Plant manager Jeff Minnaert told South Dakota Searchlight in 2023 that the Madison location employed about 250 people, and about 25% of them were Hispanic.

The company was seeking additional employees at the time to support a planned $60 million expansion that was set to add a combined 125 jobs to the Madison plant and another location in Yankton. In December 2022, while Noem was governor of South Dakota, the board of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development awarded Manitou nearly $1 million through a construction sales-tax refund program to help with the expansion.

In July 2023, also while Noem was governor, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development received a Silver Shovel award from Area Development magazine, which the magazine said was due to activity including the Manitou expansion.

The other targeted business, Global Polymer Industries, is a Madison-based company that was founded in a garage in the small town of Arlington in 1993. It describes itself as one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, which is a flexible product that retains its shape and melts only under extremely high temperatures. The company’s wide range of products includes conveyor components, sprockets, guide rails and custom-molded parts.

South Dakota Searchlight attempts to speak with officials at both companies were unsuccessful Tuesday.