WASHINGTON   -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today expressed approval at the creation of a senior executive post in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security solely for the purpose of coordinating state and local public safety with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement is key to stopping and deterring illegal immigration to the United States.  I am glad to see the Department of Homeland Security taking extra measures to combat this pervasive problem, particularly when it comes to those illegal immigrants who not only defy U.S. law to come to this country, but then continue to break our laws once they are here,” Emerson said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s first Executive Director of State and Local Coordination is Jim Pendergraph, Mecklenburg County Sheriff.  His department was the first in the nation certified for 287 g authority, allowing those officers limited immigration authority.

“Our immigration enforcement efforts depend on the leadership and capability of law enforcement officers throughout the nation,” Emerson said.  “Jim Pendergraph brings a long career in local law enforcement to his duties in the Department of Homeland Security, and I look forward to his efforts to make the most of his new office.”