ADC Supports Holder Confirmation as Attorney General

posted on: Jan 13, 2009

Today the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) submitted a letter calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm Eric H. Holder, Jr. as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States. The Committee will be holding the confirmation proceedings on Holder’s nomination beginning on Thursday January 15th at 9:30 am in the Russell Senate Office Building Room 325.

In the letter, ADC expressed its support for Holder’s confirmation while highlighting the direct impact the Arab-American community had suffered as a result of the erosion of civil rights and civil liberties during the past eight years as a result of Bush Administration programs made under the mantra of the “war on terrorism.” The Arab-American community is still affected by outstanding unresolved issues and residual effects of such programs. It is imperative that these issues be addressed and resolved. ADC expressed these issues in its letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and submitted them as questions for the confirmation proceedings. They include: the 2008 Attorney General FBI Investigative Guidelines’ use of racial profiling factors in national security investigations, the effect and impact of Operation Frontline and other similar programs on the community, the need to incorporate “Anti-Arab” crimes under the Bias Motivation section of the annual FBI Hate Crimes Statistics Report, and the negative impact the enforcement of federal immigration laws by local and state police has had on community trust.

ADC National Executive Director Kareem Shora said, “ADC supports and encourages the nomination of qualified minorities to cabinet level positions as it is the diversity of our nation that makes our democracy truly unique. Accordingly, this diversity should be reflected in the nomination of our national leaders. Further, ADC feels our great country deserves nothing less than candidates who are truly qualified to represent and protect America’s tradition of rule of law, civil liberties and civil rights.

Mr. Holder’s past experience in and commitment to civil rights meet those standards. Equally important are his outreach efforts to the Arab-American community along with the efforts made to address the community’s concerns about the use of classified evidence in deportation hearings during his tenure as Deputy Attorney General under the Clinton Administration.”