Arizona's Attorney General Kris Mayes sharply criticized the Trump administration for what she sees as a dereliction of duty in prosecuting drug crimes. In a statement shared by Reuters, Mayes slammed the federal government for redirecting efforts away from drug traffickers to immigrant laborers, jeopardizing public safety in the process. With a pointed claim, Mayes stated, "Donald Trump promised to go after drug cartels, but in reality, his administration is pulling federal agents off drug cases by the thousands to target immigrant workers."
Mayes, standing firm on her ground despite thousands of federal agents being diverted, vowed to keep focus on the drug war at home, particularly the scourge of fentanyl, which claims more than half of its U.S. seizures in Arizona. These shifts in priorities, according to Mayes, make not only Arizona but the entire country less safe, especially when synthetic drugs are rampant, and cocaine is resurfacing. "At a time when we have a massive synthetic drug problem, and cocaine is making a comeback, the feds are turning a blind eye to these very real threats to public health and safety," she proclaimed.
Statistics released by Reuters painted a grim picture of federal drug law enforcement under Trump's guidance: a 10% fall in federal drug prosecutions, a 24% decrease in people charged with money laundering, a decline of about 15% in the number of individuals charged in drug conspiracies, and a dip in the number of people charged with importing drugs into the United States by about 6%—the lowest in at least a quarter-century. Moreover, prosecutions for violating gun laws in relation to drug crimes also fell by about 5%, while the number of new cases has hit an all-time low, stalling high-priority drug investigations.
With a troubled twist of priorities, Mayes's request for additional DEA agents to fight the illegal drug trade in Arizona was left unaddressed. The Attorney General's Office, facing the challenge, is ready to pick up the slack where the federal government has appeared to let loose. Mayes assured the public, saying, "As the Trump administration forces federal law enforcement to abandon their duty to protect us from the drug cartels and career criminals, my office will continue to prosecute those responsible for the fentanyl crisis to the fullest extent of the law."
An added facet to the narrative is how immigration cases have absorbed federal resources: around 700 federal prosecutors have been reassigned to at least partially handle immigration matters, comprising more than 10% of the prosecutor workforce. The resource allocation under the Trump administration highlights a shift toward immigration enforcement over drug-related offenses—a shift that Mayes, along with implicated communities and law enforcement agencies, may now have to confront head-on in an uphill battle against narcotics.
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