WASHINGTON, D.C. – People For the American Way (PFAW) today issued the following statement from PFAW Political Director Lizet Ocampo after reports that President Trump intends to tap Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia attorney general, for a top immigration policy role in the Department of Homeland Security.

“Ken Cuccinelli notoriously compared immigrants to rats. That disqualifies him from any job in any presidential administration, and it’s ridiculous that someone like him could be considered for a position involving immigrants.

“Cuccinelli’s opposition to birthright citizenship, his support for the controversial Arizona law that forced police to check immigration status during routine traffic stops, and his support for the same discriminatory racial profiling in Virginia make clear that his anti-immigrant rhetoric also informs his actions.

“This is a man who considers immigration policy to be ‘pest control.’ The fact that Cuccinelli is being considered at all is indicative of the depth of white supremacist rot in this administration.”

PFAW’s Latinos Vote! program released ads in 2013 drawing attention to Cuccinelli’s own voice comparing immigration policy to exterminating rats: “You can’t break up rat families…and you can’t even kill ‘em,” he states. Watch the full ads here.

 

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About PFAW

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

About Latinos Vote!

People For the American Way’s Latinos Vote! program exposes and counters anti-immigrant, anti-Latino rhetoric and policies. Through electoral work and issue-based campaigns, we hold groups, leaders and influencers accountable for the harm they do to immigrant and Latino communities.