FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2005 WWW.USDOJ.GOV AG (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-6933 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today issued the following statement on the resignation of Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta of the Civil Rights Division: As Assistant Attorney General, Alex has done an outstanding job enforcing our Nations civil rights laws and promoting equal opportunity for all Americans. I am grateful for his enthusiasm and dedication to the Justice Department. I wish Alex all the best as he continues to serve our Nation as an Interim United States Attorney. Acosta was nominated by President George W. Bush in June 2003 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2003, serving as the first Hispanic Assistant Attorney General at the Justice Department. During his tenure, Acosta presided over vigorous enforcement of civil rights statutes, including those statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, handicap, religion, and national origin in education, employment, credit, housing, public accommodations and facilities, and voting. Under his leadership, the Civil Rights Division met record levels of enforcement in a broad range of areas, including achieving a three-fold increase in the number of prosecutions of human traffickers over the previous four years, record levels of voting rights enforcement, and the Departments most extensive election-monitoring effort ever.
Acosta has been appointed to serve as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. 05-317
Source: US Department of Justice
