Sioux Falls-area immigration arrests: ‘Increased activity’

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Three recent federal court cases highlight immigration-related proceedings in South Dakota.

In one, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations arrested a Honduran man in Sioux Falls after running his license plate and discovering he was in the country illegally, and in the second case, a special agent in Rapid City arrested a man originally from Mexico after running his fingerprints and confirming he too was in the country illegally. Both men had been convicted of illegal re-entry after deportation.

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In a third case, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent arrested a man originally from Guatemala in Sioux Falls. In addition to an illegal re-entry after deportation conviction, he also has a criminal record in South Dakota including multiple DUI convictions.

“There is increased activity, but the numbers aren’t huge,” immigration attorney Taneeza Islam said Monday about arrests in the Sioux Falls area for being in the country illegally.

Islam, who is CEO of the organization South Dakota Voices for Peace, says that previously, ICE prioritized serious crimes. But it’s now a new era.

“Evidence is showing us anyone with a criminal background, whether it’s a conviction, whether they’ve done their time if you will, whether they even haven’t had a day in court yet, if that’s on their record, we’re seeing ICE kind of picking up anyone with a criminal history,” Islam said.

Islam works with Nancy Reynoza of Sioux Falls, who can empathize with how an immigrant might feel. Reynoza shares that her parents were undocumented when they came to the United States.

“They just wanted a job,” said Reynoza, who is executive director of the nonprofit organization Que Pasa Sioux Falls. “They just wanted to work. They wanted to provide for us as kids, for their families, and there’s a lot of people in our community like this, that come here because they want to provide for their family. They’re fleeing different circumstances in their countries. These families are scared.”

During this time of uncertainty, Islam and Reynoza each highlight knowledge.

“My community, the language barrier sometimes is what hinders the communication, and so with my nonprofit what we do is we provide the information that they need in their language, and not only that, there’s a lot of information coming from so many angles,” Reynoza said.

“We all have a right to remain silent,” Islam said. “We all have a right to ask for an attorney. We all have a right to ask for a valid search warrant or a arrest warrant if they’re trying to arrest somebody. These are all constitutional rights for every person that is in the boundaries of the United States; immigration status does not matter.”