RAPID CITY, SD — Senate Majority Leader John Thune followed on a visit to Sioux Falls yesterday, touring C-Lock Headquarters, which manufactures systems based on cutting edge engineering that “incorporates intelligent data-mining techniques, measurements, and numerical modeling,” according to the organization’s website.

Following this tour, Thune remarked that the company was amazing, and that he felt C-Lock represented “a good example of how manufacturing could happen [in America]” and called it “an example of the obviously great workforce here”.

However, conversation quickly shifted to broader issues of the continuing government shutdown over failures to secure appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security. Thune remained steadfast in accusing democrats of utilizing the appropriation issue to pursue political issues in Congress, saying “They’re doing it to protest ICE funding, but the truth is, there are a whole lot of other agencies that are impacted by that”, citing the TSA and FEMA as unintentional casualties following the death of two and resulting protests in Minneapolis, which have drawn significant national attention in past weeks.

Thune, expanding on statements made in Sioux Falls yesterday maintained a trend of disagreement with consensus among Republican officials, reaffirming his belief that ICE has overstepped somewhat and should refocus away from detention quotas. “I think the priority ought to be on, you know, getting dangerous people out of the country,” said Thune, though immediately following this, he was quick to lay blame at the feet of Minneapolis itself for the deaths and resultant unrest, “obviously in a community like Minneapolis and others, which are sanctuary cities, you have local officials who are not amenable to protecting the people who are trying to do this job. So there’s gotta be a bit more understanding. I think Minneapolis pretty clearly had people that you would want to get out of the country, that the local officials were blocking, and so they were creating an environment which was creating conflict and making it really hard and unsafe for ICE employees to do their job”. 

Thune additionally commended Border Czar Tom Homan on his work, following the removal of security forces in Minneapolis, with the exception of what Homan called a “small” occupying security force which will remain in the city for the time being. “there’s some lessons learned, and I think that hopefully in the future these types of Situations that create danger are going to be avoided.” said Thune

The point of agreement with current Republican Consensus came with Thune’s opinion on the accountability of individual ICE agents, and his belief in the necessity of Agents remaining masked and anonymous while detaining individuals. “I think that’s one of the challenges that you have with ICE agents who are in these communities, sanctuary, cities where these agents are being doxxed. That’s one of the big questions is, okay, why are they wearing masks? Well they’re wearing masks because they’re being doxxed, and when people see who they are, and they find their families, and then they start showing up and presenting dangerous situations for these people who are just frankly trying to do a job,” said Thune, who followed saying “I think there’s clearly an approach here that can work better, and I think that’s the path they’re now pursuing”.