President Obama has nominated Thomas E. Perez, the head of the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department, to be his next secretary of labor. Perez has been a point person on cases involving racial profiling and discrimination by law enforcement. If confirmed, he would be the only Hispanic in Obama’s second-term Cabinet. Obama presented Perez as the “son of Dominican immigrants” who “knows what it’s like to climb the ladder of opportunity.” Republicans, however, called Perez a radical, accusing him of helping illegal immigrants avoid detection and receive benefits. “This is an unfortunate and needlessly divisive nomination,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).
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