Noem’s South Dakota Neighbors Hit with an Immigration Audit that Decimates Their Workforce

Noem’s South Dakota neighbors hit with an immigration audit that decimates their workforce

A September 2025 view of Drumgoon Dairy, which Dorothy and Rodney Elliott opened in 2006 near Lake Norden, South Dakota. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)LAKE NORDEN — The names on the list included some of Dorothy Elliott’s best employees: hardworking, reliable, honest. Most had been working at Drumgoon Dairy for years. Some worked there for nearly two decades, playing a role in the operation’s expansion and success. But after …

Kristi Noem’s South Dakota neighbors hit with audit that decimates their workforce

LAKE NORDEN — The names on the list included some of Dorothy Elliott’s best employees: hardworking, reliable, honest.Most had been working at Drumgoon Dairy for years. Some worked there for nearly two decades, playing a role in the operation’s expansion and success.But after an audit of the dairy at the end of May by the federal Department of Homeland Security, 38 of those employees are gone.The department said they each had inaccurate, outdated…