President Obama has nominated Tom Perez, now head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, to become the new secretary of labor. Perez was an adviser to the late Senator Ted Kennedy and oversaw Maryland’s Department of Labor, where he helped implement the country’s first statewide living wage law. During his tenure at the Justice Department, he opened a record number of investigations into civil rights abuses by local police, including a racial-profiling suit against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But his nomination comes on the heels of an inspector general’s report that accused the department’s voting rights unit of partisan divisions and unprofessionalism. Obama praised Perez on Monday.

President Obama: “Like so many Americans, Tom knows what it’s like to climb the ladder of opportunity. He is the son of Dominican immigrants. He helped pay his way through college as a garbage collector and working at a warehouse. In his current role as the head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Tom has fought to open pathways into the workforce for everyone willing to contribute, including people with disabilities, LGBT Americans, and immigrants. And he has helped settle some of the largest cases ever on behalf of families targeted by unfair mortgage lending.”

Perez is already facing criticism from Republicans, who object to his record on voting rights and support of undocumented immigrants. He is the only Latino to be tapped for Obama’s second-term Cabinet. Perez began his remarks Monday by thanking Obama in Spanish.

Tom Perez: “Le agradezco, señor Presidente, el gran honor de ser nominado para servir en está posición. It is a remarkably humbling and exciting phenomenon to be here today. My parents taught my four siblings and me to work hard, to give back to our community, and to make sure that the ladder of opportunity was there for those coming after us. Over my career, I’ve learned that true progress is possible if you keep an open mind, listen to all sides, and focus on results.”