Department of War prosecutors assigned to help with border-related cases in Las Cruces

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico says that five Department of War personnel have been assigned to the district's Las Cruces Office.

The five personnel include three Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys and two Senior Paralegal Specialists. They will operate under the U.S. Attorney's Office and will focus on prosecuting federal offenses connected to the border. That includes immigration, narcotics, firearms, and human smuggling cases.

"This assignment strengthens the District of New Mexico’s partnership with the U.S. Military and supports ongoing national efforts to deploy additional Department of War and Department of Justice personnel to the southern border," a spokesperson for the office explained. "It also represents an important step toward the administration’s stated objective of achieving 100 percent operational control of the southern border by increasing prosecutorial capacity in a key border district."