Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a former South Dakota governor, faced protests as she received an honorary doctorate at Dakota State University in Madison, as the school hosted its commencement ceremonies on Saturday.
Protesters showed up with signs to show their displeasure at the selection of Noem as this year’s commencement speaker. The secretary has been at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda and mass deportation efforts.
“We don’t think that she is somebody that deserves any sort of honor from anybody,” protester Susan Wicks told Dakota News Now. “She’s currently right now violating the constitution, deporting people to foreign detainment centers without any due process.”
“I think that recently she’s shown herself to be a tool of the Trump administration and implementing policies that go against the Constitution of the United States,” fellow protester John Nelson told the outlet.
Wicks added that the university “didn’t listen to the town, the faculty or their students, and we think that’s abhorrent.”
At the Dakota State Fieldhouse, Noem received an honorary doctorate in public service. The school pointed to Noem’s work advocating for the university and its programs focusing on cybersecurity.
During the ceremony, Dakota State University President José-Marie Griffiths said that as South Dakota governor, Noem “was always ready to listen to our proposals, ask insightful questions to learn more about our plans, and was eager to move forward to support those initiatives.”
Some students chose not to participate in the ceremony. Max Lerchen, who graduated with a master’s in business administration, was one of those who took part after considering protesting as he disagreed with the selection of Noem “from the get-go.”
“This is a degree that I’ve worked hard for and many others have worked hard for,” Lerchen told Dakota News Now. “While I support the decision of those to not participate and I respect them for using their voices that way, I did not want to give Secretary Noem the power over me making decisions regarding my accomplishment and my day, and I’m very happy to see many others make that same choice as well.”
“I wanted to make sure I spent the day with my friends and my family, the people who supported me and make sure that I still celebrated regardless of the decision made,” he added.
Some students who chose to protest said they were locked out of campus buildings where they had stored their signs.
Lerchen, however, said he didn’t think it was intentional.
“A lot of our facilities around here, when they’re not in use, are locked. That’s not an uncommon thing,” he told Dakota News Now.
He added that the university “made a decision that I disagree with to select and honor Secretary Noem with a degree, but I do not think any of the actions by the university were meant to be malicious.”
