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Su nombramiento podría hacerse oficial pronto, incluso el lunes, dijeron las personas familiarizadas con el proceso de selección. Ellas hablaron el sábado bajo condición de no ser identificadas porque aún no se ha hecho el anuncio oficial. El portavoz de la Casa Blanca Matt Lehrich declinó hacer declaraciones.
De ser nominado y confirmado, Pérez sustituirá a Hilda Solís, quien renunció en enero para regresar a su estado natal de California.
Pérez fue el primer latino elegido para al Concejo del condado de Montgomery en Maryland, donde sirvió de 2002 a 2006.
Pérez llegaría al Departamento de Trabajo mientras Obama impulsa una reforma migratoria amplia, que podría incluir cambios en cómo los empleadores contratan a trabajadores extranjeros. Los funcionarios del Departamento de Trabajo también han tenido un papel destacado en apoyar los esfuerzos de Obama para aumentar el salario mínimo federal, de 7,25 dólares a 9 dólares la hora.
En el Departamento de Justicia, Pérez tuvo un papel clave en la decisión de impugnar leyes que buscaban que los votantes en Texas y Carolina del Sur contaran con identificación oficial, algo que podría haber restringido el derecho de voto de las minorías. Un tribunal federal revocó posteriormente la ley de Texas y retrasó la aplicación de la ley de Carolina del Sur hasta después de las elecciones de 2012.
El Senado confirmó fácilmente a Pérez para su cargo en el Departamento de Justicia, pero desde entonces, algunos legisladores republicanos lo han criticado por su papel en persuadir a la alcaldía de St. Paul, en Minnesota, para que retirara una demanda entablada ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia. A cambio, el Departamento de Justicia se abstuvo de unirse a dos juicios contra St. Paul que podrían haber devuelto millones de dólares al gobierno federal en daños y perjuicios.
Obama poised to pick Pérez for Labor
By JIM KUHNHENN and SAM HANANEL, Associated Press
WASHINGTON, DC, March 10, 2013 (AP): President Barack Obama is close to naming Thomas Pérez, a civil rights official in the Justice Department, as his choice to head the Department of Labor, two people familiar with the process say.
His nomination could come as early as Monday, the people familiar with the process said Saturday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak prior to the official announcement.
If confirmed, Pérez would replace Hilda Solis, who resigned in January.
White House spokesman Matt Lehrich declined to comment.
Pérez, 51, has led the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division since 2009 and previously served as Maryland's labor secretary. He is expected to have solid support from organized labor as well as the Hispanic community, which is eager to have representation in Obama's second-term Cabinet.
Solis was the first Hispanic woman to head an agency at the Cabinet level. Pérez was the first Latino elected to the Montgomery County Council in Maryland, where he served from 2002 to 2006.
Pérez would come to the Labor Department as Obama pushes a major immigration overhaul, which could include changes in how employers hire guest workers. Labor Department officials have also taken a prominent role in supporting Obama's effort to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour.
At the Justice Department, Pérez played a leading role in the decision to challenge voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina that could restrict minority voting rights. A federal court later struck down the Texas law and delayed implementation of the law in South Carolina until after the 2012 election.
Pérez was easily confirmed by the Senate for his Justice Department post, but since then, some GOP lawmakers have criticized his role in persuading the city of St. Paul, Minn., to withdraw a lending discrimination lawsuit from the Supreme Court. In exchange, the Justice Department declined to join two whistle-blower lawsuits against St. Paul that could have returned millions of dollars in damages to the federal government.
The St. Paul case had challenged the use of statistics to prove race discrimination under the 1968 Fair Housing Act, and Justice Department officials were concerned the court could strike down the practice.
A letter last year from four Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rep. Darrell Issa of California, criticized Pérez for a ``quid pro quo arrangement'' that potentially cost taxpayers more than $180 million.
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