U.S. Department
of Justice
On 500th Day Of Trump Administration, Attorney General Sessions Announces 311 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions
On the 500th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Charles Peeler announced that the Department of Justice is taking a dramatic step to increase resources to combat violent crime, enforce our immigration laws, and help roll back the devastating opioid crisis.
In the largest increase in decades, the Department of Justice is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas. Those allocations are as follows: 190 violent crime prosecutors, 86 civil enforcement prosecutors, and 35 additional immigration prosecutors. Many of the civil enforcement AUSA’s will support the newly created Prescription Interdiction & Litigation Task Force which targets the opioid crisis at every level of the distribution system.
“Under President Trump's strong leadership, the Department of Justice is going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis—and today we are sending in reinforcements,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “We have a saying in my office that a new federal prosecutor is 'the coin of the realm.' When we can eliminate wasteful spending, one of my first questions to my staff is if we can deploy more prosecutors to where they are needed. I have personally worked to re-purpose existing funds to support this critical mission, and as a former federal prosecutor myself, my expectations could not be higher. These exceptional and talented prosecutors are key leaders in our crime fighting partnership. This addition of new Assistant U.S. Attorney positions represents the largest increase in decades.”
In the Middle District of Georgia, three of these new AUSAs will focus on violent crime, civil enforcement, and prosecuting immigration crimes. The Middle District of Georgia is comprised of 70 counties, includes Albany, Valdosta, Columbus, Macon and Athens, and is home to approximately 2 million residents.
“I want to thank Attorney General Sessions for providing our district with the tools we need to make the Middle District of Georgia a safer place to live, work and visit. These new federal prosecutors are critical in fulfilling our mission to fight violent crime, end the opioid epidemic, and secure our borders,” said United States Attorney Charles Peeler.