WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JANUARY 28, 2014) (UNRESTRICTED POOL -ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE) (English) (AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN U.S. SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS, A REPUBLICAN FROM ALABAMA, AND U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE LORETTA LYNCH) U.S. SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS, SAYING: “In the workplace of America today when we have a high number of unemployed, we’ve had declining wages for many years, we have the lowest of Americans working, who has more right to a job in this country? A lawful immigrant who’s here, a green-card holder or a citizen, or a person who entered the country unlawfully?” U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE LORETTA LYNCH : Well, Senator, I believe that the right and the obligation to work is one that’s shared by everyone in this country regardless of how they came here. And certainly, if someone here, regardless of status, I would prefer that they be participating in the workplace than not participating in the workplace. ” SESSIONS, SAYING: “We’re talking about rights — who has the most rights? Does a lawful American immigrant or citizen have the right to have the laws of the United States enforced so that they might be able to work, or does a person who came here unlawfully have a right to demand a job?” LYNCH, SAYING: “Certainly, the benefits of citizenship confer greater rights on those of who are citizens than those — than those who are not.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE LORETTA LYNCH, SAYING: “With respect to our brave law enforcement officers, we ask so much of them. We ask them to keep us safe. We ask them to protect us literally from ourselves, and we ask them to do it often without the resources that they need to be safe and secure themselves. Yet they still stand up every day and risk their lives for us. Many of our community residents, because of a host of factors, feel disconnected from government in general today, and when they interact with law enforcement, transfer that feeling to them as well, even if someone is there to help. What I have found most effective is getting people together and simply listening to their concerns, being open, helping them see that, in fact, we are all in this together and that the concerns of law enforcement, a safe society, a free society are the exact same concerns of every resident of every community there.”