- Federal prosecutors filed only eight gun or drug cases in the first four months of 2026, a significant decrease from 77 in the same period last year, according to a Reuters analysis.
- This sharp decline is attributed to the administration's intensified focus on immigration enforcement, which has diverted federal resources and led to a mass exodus of career prosecutors from the Department of Justice.
- Thousands of criminal cases, including serious gun and drug charges, have been quietly abandoned or transferred to local authorities due to diminished staffing and shifted priorities.
- Local officials, such as Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, have voiced concerns that this shift compromises public safety by neglecting other serious crimes.
- The strain on federal prosecutors is evident, with cases being dismissed due to missed deadlines and a judge approving the transfer of a serious armed carjacking case to state prosecutors.
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