The U.S. Justice Department is ramping up staffing for immigration-related prosecutions, prioritizing border regions as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on illegal entry, drug trafficking, and cartel operations.
Despite a federal hiring freeze, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has authorized an exception for U.S. attorney’s offices in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, as well as districts in Florida, New York, and Vermont, citing increased illegal immigration at both the southern and northern borders.
In a memo to department staff, Blanche emphasized that border districts play a “unique role” in enforcing immigration laws. Prosecutors in these areas have been instructed to pursue the most severe charges available, aligning with the administration’s broader strategy to make immigration enforcement a top Justice Department priority.
To bolster these efforts, Blanche has encouraged voluntary transfers of Justice Department attorneys to border districts, warning that mandatory relocations may be necessary if not enough step forward. Additionally, prosecutors will seek terrorism-related charges against drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations and will target local officials and advocacy groups accused of obstructing federal immigration enforcement.
The shift in focus has also led to a deprioritization of other criminal cases, including foreign bribery and covert influence investigations, as Justice Department leadership redirects resources toward immigration enforcement.
Blanche, formerly a top criminal defense attorney for Trump, was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday and sworn in as the Justice Department’s second-ranking official the following day.
