EL PASO, Texas (KTEP) - The Trump administration removed Jaime Esparza as the top prosecutor for the federal government in a district that includes 68 counties along the U.S. Mexico border.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas announced the change effective Tuesday. Esparza was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and appointed to the position by President Joe Biden in December 2022.
“It is a new administration, so you expect that,” Esparza told KTEP News. “I am hoping that the justice department will continue to serve as a model for prosecutors across the country on doing what is right and knowing how to apply the law and the facts in every case. The prosecutor, no matter the situation, is required to do what is right and fair.”
The along with the termination of top prosecutors in South Carolina and Arizona this week. The U.S. attorneys removed by the Trump administration were also appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021 and 2022.
Under Esparza, the U.S. Attorney’s Office oversaw more than 41,000 federal criminal prosecutions and more than 10,000 civil cases. His office also oversaw the federal prosecution of the Walmart mass shooting case that ended with the gunman pleading guilty to 90 charges and sentenced to 90 consecutive life in prison.
As he departs, Esparza says he’s concerned about pending cases.
“There are quite a few vacancies in the office and if there is a further reduction in force, it will make it very difficult for that office.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman, another El Paso native, now serves as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas as required by law, until a new U.S. Attorney is appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
