In his first Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, President Trump’s pick to head the Labor Department, Florida law school dean R. Alexander Acosta in his opening remarks to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee stressed his background as the child of Hispanic immigrants. As labor secretary, Acosta will have a key role in enforcing U.S. Immigration policy.
“My parents fled from a Cuban dictatorship in search of freedom,” said Acosta a former assistant attorney general for civil rights, in his prepared remarks to the committee. “Growing up, I saw my parents struggle … I am here today because of them. My success is their success. Their sacrifice and perseverance made my education possible.” He said his parents’ story “frames my perspective on the important responsibilities I would assume if confirmed as Secretary of Labor.”
Acosta, currently the head of Florida International University Law, was introduced to the committee by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, both of whom are also Hispanic.
“This is one of the few times, if not the only time, this committee has had three Cuban-Americans seated before it,” Cruz remarked.
