“If President-Elect Donald Trump truly wants to reunite a fractured nation, his selection of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General is a huge step in the wrong direction.
“Throughout his career, Senator Sessions has exhibited insensitivity, if not outright hostility, to many of the vast array of ethnic groups that make up the beautiful mosaic that is America. In particular, his past statements about our Dominican population, made on the floor of the Senate, are particularly galling. Senator Session’s claims that Dominicans contribute nothing to our society are categorically false. Hundreds of thousands of hardworking individuals of Dominican descent call my borough and this city their home, and they deserve more respect than that.
“The Bronx has the largest community of Dominicans anywhere outside of the Dominican Republic, and they have had a tremendous positive influence on our borough. This is a community of hardworking men and women—doctors, lawyers, business owners, teachers and more—who have contributed so much to the ongoing revitalization of The Bronx. We will not accept their marginalization at the highest levels of government.
“We cannot allow Senator Sessions to lead the Justice Department, especially when he cares so little about justice and the civil rights of all communities. This nomination is a mistake, and President-Elect Trump would be wise to rescind it,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.