President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Tom Perez, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, as labour secretary, a cabinet member who will play a key role in the administration's efforts to raise the minimum wage and reform immigration laws.
Perez is the only Latino nominated to Obama's second-term Cabinet so far. The Harvard-educated civil rights attorney is expected to face opposition from some Republican senators, who say he has been too aggressive on certain immigration issues, and too political.