6/25/2003 - NCLR COMMENDS PRESIDENT BUSH’S NOMINATION OF ALEX ACOSTA AS

NCLR COMMENDS PRESIDENT BUSH’S NOMINATION OF ALEX ACOSTA AS
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Washington D.C. – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) expressed its strong support for President George W. Bush’s nomination of Alex Acosta to be the new Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Department of Justice. NCLR cited Mr. Acosta’s track record as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division as a major factor in its endorsement.

During his tenure at DOJ, Mr. Acosta played a pivotal role in the Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Guidance enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires recipients of federal financial assistance to provide language assistance to LEP persons. Additionally, Mr. Acosta was instrumental in DOJ’s prompt release of the new jurisdictions, as determined by the Census, to be covered by the language minority provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which ensures all citizens, regardless of language proficiency, have the right to vote.

“Mr. Acosta has proven himself to be a bridge-builder, not only with the Latino community but with other ethnic and racial groups,” said Raul Yzaguirre, NCLR President.

Most recently, as one of the five members of the National Labor Relations Board, Mr. Acosta sided with the majority in a key labor law violation decision. The ruling established that an employee’s credibility cannot be judged unfavorably simply because the employee used a false Social Security Number to obtain employment.

NCLR believes that Mr. Acosta is an excellent example of someone with whom the Latino community can work. “We may not agree with everything that Mr. Acosta has done or will do, but we are certain that he is someone who will listen and act in a fair manner,” concluded Yzaguirre.

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