Nominee Protected Illegal Aliens From Deportation
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) voted against the Biden administration’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) closed-door committee vote. Su’s nomination was confirmed on an 11-10 party-line vote, and now awaits a floor vote. This was the second time Senator Tuberville has opposed the nomination.
Last year, Senator Tuberville questioned nominee Julie Su regarding reports that she deliberately directed her staff in the Division of Labor Standards Enforcements (DLSE) to refuse entry to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who visited state labor offices in California. Su acknowledged the existence of a memo, but repeatedly refused to provide it to the Committee. Senator Tuberville and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) then requested and uncovered the document from California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA). The memo revealed instructions on how to hide illegal aliens from immigration law enforcement, sent directly from Su, thus requiring staff to obstruct the work of immigration officials.
In a statement regarding the discovery of this memo Senator Tuberville said, “We now have the proof that Julie Su actively thwarted federal law enforcement from doing its job. That might be popular in left-wing California, but she is too radical for America. We can’t have a labor secretary who puts the wants of illegal immigrants ahead of the needs of the American people.”
BACKGROUND
In May 2023 U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) in announcing the discovery of a memorandum that exposed an effort by Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be labor secretary, to obstruct immigration law enforcement.
During a nomination hearing for Su, Senator Tuberville asked her about the memo she issued in July of 2017 in which she reportedly directed her staff in the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) to refuse entry to ICE agents who visited state labor offices in California. In her testimony, Julie Su admitted the existence of the memo, but stated she did not have access to it. When Senator Tuberville submitted a Question for the Record (QFR) asking for a copy of the memo after the hearing, Su failed to provide the document. Senators Tuberville and Cassidy then requested the memo directly from California LWDA, leading to its revelation.
Today’s HELP Committee markup was held behind closed doors without the nominees or press present, so senators were not able to question Julie Su about her performance as Acting Secretary of Labor over the past few months. Sen. Tuberville will continue to oppose Su’s nomination.
Click here to view the full memo.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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