Obama Picks Napolitano as Homeland Security Secretary

(HS Today – Mickey McCarter)

Arizona governor brings border security, immigration experience Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano may become the next secretary of homeland security, according to various news reports.

The transition team of president-elect Barack Obama is vetting the governor for the position, Democratic sources say, after which she would undergo confirmation by the U.S. Senate if she accepts the job.

Napolitano leads a border state that has received its share of national attention in the past several years. A stretch of the border near Tucscon has served as the initial site for the Secure Border Initiative-Network (SBInet), which has drawn considerable attention to border security efforts in her state.

The governor has sometimes supported initiatives by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and sometimes opposed them. In July 2007, she signed a state law requiring employers in Arizona to use the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system to ensure none of their employees were illegal immigrants. But in June 2008, she agreed to solidify Arizona’s stance against the REAL ID Act, which requires all states to upgrade their driver’s licenses to include biometric measures that make them more secure. Read more here.