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Su nombramiento podría hacerse oficial pronto, incluso el lunes,
dijeron las personas familiarizadas con el proceso de selección.
Ellas hablaron el sábado bajo condición de no ser identificadas
porque aún no se ha hecho el anuncio oficial. El portavoz de la
Casa Blanca Matt Lehrich declinó hacer declaraciones.
De ser nominado y confirmado, Pérez sustituirá a Hilda Solís,
quien renunció en enero para regresar a su estado natal de
California.
Pérez fue el primer latino elegido para al Concejo del condado
de Montgomery en Maryland, donde sirvió de 2002 a 2006.
Pérez llegaría al Departamento de Trabajo mientras Obama impulsa
una reforma migratoria amplia, que podría incluir cambios en
cómo los empleadores contratan a trabajadores extranjeros. Los
funcionarios del Departamento de Trabajo también han tenido un
papel destacado en apoyar los esfuerzos de Obama para aumentar
el salario mínimo federal, de 7,25 dólares a 9 dólares la hora.
En el Departamento de Justicia, Pérez tuvo un papel clave en la
decisión de impugnar leyes que buscaban que los votantes en
Texas y Carolina del Sur contaran con identificación oficial,
algo que podría haber restringido el derecho de voto de las
minorías. Un tribunal federal revocó posteriormente la ley de
Texas y retrasó la aplicación de la ley de Carolina del Sur
hasta después de las elecciones de 2012.
El Senado confirmó fácilmente a Pérez para su cargo en el
Departamento de Justicia, pero desde entonces, algunos
legisladores republicanos lo han criticado por su papel en
persuadir a la alcaldía de St. Paul, en Minnesota, para que
retirara una demanda entablada ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia.
A cambio, el Departamento de Justicia se abstuvo de unirse a dos
juicios contra St. Paul que podrían haber devuelto millones de
dólares al gobierno federal en daños y perjuicios.
Obama
poised to pick Pérez for Labor
By JIM KUHNHENN and SAM HANANEL, Associated Press
WASHINGTON, DC, March 10, 2013 (AP): President Barack Obama is
close to naming Thomas Pérez, a civil rights official in
the Justice Department, as his choice to head the Department of
Labor, two people familiar with the process say.
His nomination could come as early as Monday, the people
familiar with the process said Saturday. They spoke on condition
of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak prior to
the official announcement.
If confirmed, Pérez would replace Hilda Solis, who
resigned in January.
White House spokesman Matt Lehrich declined to comment.
Pérez, 51, has led the Justice Department's Civil Rights
Division since 2009 and previously served as Maryland's labor
secretary. He is expected to have solid support from organized
labor as well as the Hispanic community, which is eager to have
representation in Obama's second-term Cabinet.
Solis was the first Hispanic woman to head an agency at the
Cabinet level. Pérez was the first Latino elected to the
Montgomery County Council in Maryland, where he served from 2002
to 2006.
Pérez would come to the Labor Department as Obama pushes a major
immigration overhaul, which could include changes in how
employers hire guest workers. Labor Department officials have
also taken a prominent role in supporting Obama's effort to
raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour.
At the Justice Department, Pérez played a leading role in the
decision to challenge voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina
that could restrict minority voting rights. A federal court
later struck down the Texas law and delayed implementation of
the law in South Carolina until after the 2012 election.
Pérez was easily confirmed by the Senate for his Justice
Department post, but since then, some GOP lawmakers have
criticized his role in persuading the city of St. Paul, Minn.,
to withdraw a lending discrimination lawsuit from the Supreme
Court. In exchange, the Justice Department declined to join two
whistle-blower lawsuits against St. Paul that could have
returned millions of dollars in damages to the federal
government.
The St. Paul case had challenged the use of statistics to prove
race discrimination under the 1968 Fair Housing Act, and Justice
Department officials were concerned the court could strike down
the practice.
A
letter last year from four Republican lawmakers, including Sen.
Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Darrell Issa of California,
criticized Pérez for a ``quid pro quo arrangement'' that
potentially cost taxpayers more than $180 million.
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