On 500th Day of Trump Administration, Attorney General Sessions Announces 311 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions

ALBUQUERQUE – On the 500^th day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico John C. Anderson 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 U.S. 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 District of New Mexico, two of these AUSAs will focus on violent crime, and one on civil enforcement.  The District of New Mexico previously was allocated six new AUSA positions to focus on prosecuting immigration crimes on May 2, 2018, when the Justice Department announced the dedication of additional resources for U.S. Attorney’s Offices along the Southwest border.

“I welcome the addition of these new AUSA positions to the District of New Mexico, and I am confident that the assignment of these prosecutors will represent a direct and immediate benefit to the United States and the people of New Mexico,” said District of New Mexico U.S. Attorney John C. Anderson. “In light of the substantial federal presence in New Mexico, the additional focus on affirmative civil enforcement will ensure that federal dollars are spent efficiently and we will improve our ability to root out waste, fraud and abuse.  The violent crime positions will allow this Office more effectively to address the high rate of such offenses in New Mexico, including in our tribal communities.”