December 15, 2016 - Latino Leaders Oppose the Confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions to the Position of Attorney General

LATINO LEADERS OPPOSE THE CONFIRMATION OF SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS TO THE POSITION OF ATTORNEY GENERAL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the nation’s most preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, adopted a resolution, presented by MALDEF, opposing the nomination of U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General, citing his long record in opposition to immigration reform and his work to undermine the protections of voting and civil rights laws.

Before becoming a Senator, Sessions had been rejected for a judgeship in the 1980s after racially charged comments came to light during confirmation hearings, which included comments saying he thought members of the Ku Klux Klan were “all right”. Former colleagues testified that he used the n-word and called black colleagues “boy.” He has continued to make disparaging and racially insensitive comments even as a member of the Senate, once stating that no one migrating from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. came here with a “skill that would benefit [the United States].”

Sessions has a 30-year record of racial insensitivity, support for anti-immigrant policies, and a flagrant disregard for the protections of civil rights. As a Senator, he has opposed nearly every immigration bill that has come before the Senate the past two decades that has included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He has also fought legal immigration, including programs for foreign workers in science, math, and the high-tech field.

Sessions has demonstrated hostility toward minority voting rights and praised the gutting of the Voting Rights Act in the case of Shelby County v. Holder. He has also opposed numerous NHLA civil rights priorities, including LGBTQ equality, the Violence Against Women Act, civil rights consent decrees, and equitable school funding.

“No current Senator has a longer or more hostile record toward civil rights and immigrants than Jeff Sessions. There is no demonstrable reason for Latinos to believe that Sessions would be fair and impartial in exercising the powers that come with being our nation’s top law enforcement official,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “This is why as a community we strongly oppose Sessions to the position of Attorney General.”

"Confirming an attorney general with Sessions' abysmal record on civil rights is an unprecedented step backwards, of significant concern because of the important role the Department of Justice has historically played in protecting the rights of all minorities," stated Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel. "Rather than a step to 'make America great again,' this appointment is more likely to 'make America hate again.’”

"Senator Sessions is simply unqualified to be the next Attorney General given his prior comments about race and immigrants. He opposed Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Latino community should oppose his," said Juan Cartagena, President & General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

“We are deeply troubled that a Senator with such a long and well-documented history of racial discrimination might soon head our nation’s Justice Department,” stated Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation. “Our Justice Department needs to serve as a beacon of civil rights and equality; and just about everything in Sessions' record suggest that he would work to turn back the clock, dismantling hard-fought legal protections for vulnerable communities and causing millions of Latinos and immigrants to live in daily fear of being targeted by their own government."

Click here to view the full resolution.

# # #

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

NHLA MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS