U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville and Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. demanded answers from California regarding Julie Su, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), about her previous alleged obstruction of immigration officials.
“As part of the Committee’s vetting process for presidentially-appointed nominees, it has come to our attention that, in July 2017, as California State Labor Commissioner, Julie Su issued a memorandum to her staff which allegedly instructed them to refuse entry to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents who visited state labor offices,” wrote the senators. “In response to her questions for the record, and in response to Senator Tuberville requesting the production of this memorandum, Julie Su stated that she ‘does not have access to this reported memo and do[es] not recall its precise contents. Therefore, pursuant to our constitutional responsibilities, we request that your office produce a copy of the 2017 memorandum issued by Julie Su to the Committee by May 8, 2023.”
Public reports indicate that Su, while chief of California’s Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), ordered DLSE employees to obstruct requests from ICE.
Su’s nomination was approved in the HELP Committee on an 11 to 10 vote on Wednesday. She now faces consideration by the full Senate. Tuberville, Cassidy, and all the other Republicans voted against confirming Su.
During last week’s nomination hearing before the HELP Committee, Tuberville asked Su about the existence of a memorandum from July 2017 instructing DLSE staff to tell ICE agents “to leave our office” and to demand a search warrant signed by a judge before allowing them onto the premises.
Su responded that she neither had a copy of the memo nor could she provide one. When Senator Tuberville submitted a Question for the Record (QFR) asking for the memo after the hearing, Su again failed to provide a copy.
On Monday, Senators Tuberville and Cassidy requested the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) provide the memo Su admitted during the hearing.
The two Senators wrote, “Under Article II, § 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the Senate has the responsibility to advise the president about presidentially-appointed nominees and the authority to consent to those nominations.1 On April 20, 2023, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a confirmation hearing for Julie Su, President Biden’s nominee for the Department of Labor (DOL) in Washington, D.C.2 As part of the Committee’s vetting process for presidentially-appointed nominees, it has come to our attention that, in July 2017, as California State Labor Commissioner, Julie Su issued a memorandum to her staff which allegedly instructed them to refuse entry to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents who visited state labor offices.3 The memorandum also allegedly directs staff to tell ICE agents “to leave our office” and to demand a search warrant signed by a judge before allowing them onto the premise.”
“In response to her questions for the record, and in response to Senator Tuberville requesting the production of this memorandum, Julie Su stated that she “does not have access to this reported memo and do[es] not recall its precise contents.” Therefore, pursuant to our constitutional responsibilities, we request that your office produce a copy of the 2017 memorandum issued by Julie Su to the Committee by May 8, 2023.”
President Joe Biden is defending the nomination.
“Julie knows in her bones as well the people who get up every morning and go to work and bust their necks just to make an honest living deserve something — someone to fight on their side to give them an even shot,” President Biden said. “Just a — just a shot so they don’t get stiffed. Well, that’s been happening to too many workers for much too long. Fighting to make sure they have a fair shot is — and no one is left behind. Julie has spent her life fighting for that vision, her entire professional career. “
“And as a civil rights lawyer and a leader of California’s state labor department, the biggest in the entire country, Julie spent two years [decades] representing workers — many without college degrees, many who didn’t speak English but who worked long, long hours at low pay and were just looking for a little bit of dignity — just a little bit of dignity for themselves and their families,” Biden said. “She’s increased the minimum wage, cracked down on wage theft, protrec- — protected trafficked workers, established and enforced workplace safety standards, and so much more.”
“Born in Wisconsin, she’s the daughter of Chinese immigrants,” Biden continued. “Mom of a union worker — her mom was a union worker, and her dad was a small-business owner. She went on to law school, served the people of California. Julie is the American Dream. And she is what the American Dream is about. More importantly — I think even more importantly, she is committed to making sure that dream is within the reach of every American. Every American. That’s what she’s all about. She is going to make sure it happens as the fourth Asian American woman in my Cabinet.”
Su is the Acting Secretary of Labor following Secretary Marty Walsh’s having left the administration. Su was deputy labor secretary prior to Walsh’s leaving the cabinet.
“We have an extraordinary opportunity to build an economy where no one feels invisible, where every individual and community not only gets to benefit from the President’s transformative vision for America but also gets to help make it real,” Su said. “So let’s build together.”
Tuberville serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Cassidy is the Ranking Member.
Tuberville is also a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
