Acosta takes office as U.S. Labor Secretary

René Alexander "Alex" Acosta is the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Laborbecoming the only Hispanic-born member of President Trump's cabinet.

It was confirmed by the Senate in a vote 60 to 38 and was sworn in on April 28, 2017. Only eight Democratic senators voted in favor of his confirmation.

Secretary Acosta will be in charge of a department that administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws and regulations, including the laws governing Labor Certification and Labor Condition Applications for certain immigrant and nonimmigrant visas.

Who is Alex Acosta

Secretary Acosta is a native of the United States, the son of Cuban exile parents and the first lawyer in his family. He graduated with honors from Harvard Law School.

Prior to assuming his position, Secretary Acosta was Dean of the Florida International University School of Law.

He also received three presidential appointments and was unanimously confirmed by voice vote of the U.S. Senate. He was a member of the National Labor Relations Board, where he participated in or signed more than 125 opinions. He became the first Hispanic to hold the rank of Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida under the Bush and Obama administrations.

Secretary Acosta also practiced law in private practice and was a law professor. In addition, he was a law clerk for Samuel Alito when he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.