Mahon Among Sheriffs Attending National Conference on Border Security

EFFINGHAM COUNTY SHERIFF DAVID MAHON WITH THE FIVE OTHER ILLINOIS SHERIFFS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. LEFT TO RIGHT: MAHON, MARK DORAN OF FORD COUNTY, KEN BRILEY OF GRUNDY COUNTY, TONY CHILDRESS OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, JON SANDAGE OF McLEAN COUNTY, AND MIKE DOWNEY OF KANKAKEE COUNTY)

Effingham County Sheriff Dave Mahon was among close to 200 sheriffs from across the nation who attended a national conference on border security issues.

The conference in Washington, DC last week was sponsored by FAIR, an acronym for Federation for American Immgration Reform. FAIR and the White House covered the cost of the conference as far as airfare and lodging, while Mahon took care of his other expenses. Mahon said there was no cost to the County aside from his being away.

Mahon was one of six sheriffs from Illinois in attendance. He said border security is an issue for Illinois and Effingham County because of the volume of drugs coming across the southern border. Mahon said a large quantity of those drugs are coming in from the south and to and through Illinois, especially methamphetamine. He said he doesn't want to focus on a border wall, but said something needs to be done to stop the flow of illegal drugs.

President Donald Trump stopped to talk with the sheriffs as they visited the White House.

(TRUMP)

Mahon said many sheriffs from counties in southern states were in attendance. He spoke of a rancher in a southern state that owns 17,000 acres of rangeland and said 16 people have been found dead on his ranch trying to enter the US.

(THE GROUP OF SHERIFFS IN ATTENDANCE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.)