FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          AG
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1997                         (202) 616-2777
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888


      JOHN TRASVINA UNANIMOUSLY CONFIRMED AS SPECIAL COUNSEL
       FOR IMMIGRATION-RELATED UNFAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
             
     Highest Ranking Hispanic Attorney at Justice Department


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Senate this week voted unanimously
to confirm John D. Trasvina as Special Counsel for Immigration-
Related Unfair Employment Practices at the Department of Justice. 
As Special Counsel, Trasvina will work to protect U.S. citizens
and other legal immigrants from discriminatory employment
practices.

     A native of San Francisco, Trasvina was nominated by
President Clinton on April 8, 1997.  Since 1993, he has served as
Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs, where
he supervised a team of attorneys representing the Department
before Congress on issues including immigration, civil rights,
prisons, and judicial and departmental nominations.
  
     "John has been a tremendous asset to the Department in our
effort to address complex issues such as immigration," said
Attorney General Janet Reno.  "I am confident that he will make
an equally important contribution in his new role of protecting
citizens and legal non-citizen workers from discrimination."
  
     From 1987 to 1993, Trasvina was General Counsel and Staff
Director for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the
Constitution, where he advised Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) on
judicial nominations and legislation dealing with civil rights,
immigration and oversight issues.  From 1983 to 1985, he served
as a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San
Francisco.
   
     Trasvina, a graduate of Lowell High School in San Francisco,
received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Harvard University
and earned his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.  He is
former Vice President of the Hispanic National Bar Association
and was named to Hispanic Business Magazine's list of the 100
most influential Hispanics in America.  Trasvina also serves as a
Board Member of the Conference on Asian Pacific American
Leadership.

     The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair
Employment Practices (OSC) was created by the Immigration Reform
and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA).  OSC protects U.S. citizens and
other authorized workers from discrimination based on their
national origin or citizenship status in hiring, firing,
recruitment or referral for a fee, document abuse or retaliation
for filing a claim.  OSC staff also appear before Administrative
Law Judges who are specially trained to hear IRCA discrimination
cases and conducts outreach and education programs.  
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