U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana Brandon Fremin announced that the U.S. 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 Louisiana, two new AUSAs will focus on violent crime and another on civil enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This is yet another example of the commitment by the President and the U.S. Attorney General to reduce violent crime in our communities. Adding more capable and aggressive prosecutors to our ranks will allow us to strengthen our already robust efforts against those seeking to undermine the safety and security of our district. This should be a welcomed development for all honest and law-abiding residents of the district."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
