DOJ Adds 35 AUSA Positions for Prosecuting Immigration Crimes

On June 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a news alert titled “On the 500th Day of the Trump Administration, Attorney General Sessions Announces 311 New Assistant United States Attorney Positions” [PDF version].

As the title of the news release indicates, the DOJ is allocating 311 new Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) to assist in three priority areas: violent crime, civil enforcement, and immigration crimes. 35 of the new AUSA positions will be dedicated to immigration crime. The DOJ had earlier announced on May 2, 2018, that it had allocated 35 new AUSA positions to assist in immigration crime prosecutions along the Southwest border [see blog].

The DOJ listed the U.S. Attorney's Offices that will be receiving new AUSA positions, including those specifically reserved for immigration crimes [PDF version]. Unlike the May 2018 announcement, the June 4 announcement will allocate AUSAs for immigration crimes at U.S. Attorney's offices across the United States. Notably, the four U.S. Attorney's Offices in New York will receive an additional five AUSA positions dedicated to immigration prosecutions, more than any other state.

The DOJ's decision to allocate 35 new immigration crimes prosecutors to U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country reflects the emphasis of Attorney General Sessions on prosecuting immigration crime. We noted in a previous post the DOJ's decision to implement a “zero tolerance policy” for illegal entry and re-entry offenses [see article]. We will continue to update the site with information on the DOJ's policies relating to criminal prosecution of immigration-related offenses as it becomes available.