Trump DOJ Dropped 23,000 Prison Investigations in Shift to Immigration — ProPublica

Within the first days after Pam Bondi was appointed lawyer basic final 12 months, the Division of Justice started shutting down pending felony circumstances at a document tempo.

The circumstances included an investigation right into a Virginia nursing house with a latest document of affected person abuse; probes of fraud involving a number of New Jersey labor unions, together with one opened after a prime official of a nationwide union was accused of embezzlement; and an investigation right into a cryptocurrency firm suspected of dishonest traders.

In complete, the DOJ quietly closed greater than 23,000 felony circumstances within the first six months of President Donald Trump’s administration, abandoning a whole bunch of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, medicine and different offenses because it shifted assets to pursue immigration circumstances, based on an evaluation by ProPublica.

The majority of those circumstances, which had been closed with out prosecution and generally known as declinations, had been referred to the DOJ by legislation enforcement businesses below prior administrations that believed a federal crime might have been dedicated. The DOJ routinely declines to prosecute circumstances for any variety of causes, together with inadequate proof or as a result of a case just isn’t a precedence for enforcement.

However the variety of declinations below Bondi marks a hanging departure not solely from the Biden administration but additionally the primary Trump time period, based on the ProPublica evaluation, which examined 20 years of DOJ information, together with the primary six months of Trump’s second time period. ProPublica decided the rise just isn’t the results of inheriting a bigger caseload or extra referrals from legislation enforcement.

In February 2025 alone, which included the primary weeks of Bondi’s tenure, practically 11,000 circumstances had been declined, probably the most in a month since no less than 2004. The earlier excessive was simply over 6,500 circumstances in September 2019, throughout Trump’s first administration.

Among the circumstances shut down had been the results of yearslong investigations by federal businesses such because the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. For complicated circumstances, the DOJ can take years earlier than deciding whether or not to convey fees.

The shift comes because the DOJ has undergone a rare overhaul below the Trump administration, with whole models shuttered, directives to desert pursuit of sure crimes and 1000’s of attorneys quitting or, in some circumstances, being compelled out of the company.

In doing so, the DOJ is retreating from its mission to impartially uphold the rule of legislation, hold the nation protected and shield civil rights, based on interviews with a dozen prosecutors and an open letter from practically 300 DOJ staff who’ve left the division below Trump. The Trump DOJ, the workers wrote, is “taking a sledgehammer” to long-standing work to “shield communities and the rule of legislation.”

The change in priorities was outlined in a collection of memos despatched to attorneys early final 12 months. Trump’s DOJ has stated it’s “turning a brand new web page on white-collar and company enforcement” and emphasizing the pursuit of drug cartels, unlawful immigrants and establishments that promote “divisive DEI insurance policies.” Trump, in an handle final March on the division, stated the adjustments had been crucial after a “give up to violent criminals” in the course of the previous administration and would lead to a restoration of “truthful, equal and neutral justice below the constitutional rule of legislation.”

The division prosecuted 32,000 new immigration circumstances within the first six months of the administration, which was practically triple the quantity below the Biden administration and a 15% enhance from the primary Trump time period. It has pursued fewer prosecutions of practically each different kind of crime — from drug offenses to corruption — than new administrations of their first six months courting again to 2009.

The DOJ has additionally closed a whole bunch of circumstances involving alleged crimes that the administration has publicly emphasised as enforcement priorities. Even because the Trump administration unleashed Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity operatives to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal authorities, the DOJ declined over 900 circumstances of federal program or procurement fraud. About thrice as many circumstances of main fraud towards the U.S. had been declined below Trump in contrast with the typical of comparable time intervals below prior administrations. And whereas the Trump administration has promised to “make America protected once more,” its DOJ has declined greater than 1,000 terrorism circumstances, additionally greater than prior administrations.

Federal prosecutor Joseph Gerbasi had spent years within the division’s Narcotic and Harmful Drug Part serving to construct circumstances towards main suppliers of fentanyl components in India and China. After Bondi got here in, he was left bewildered when his staff was ordered to desert its work.

“All the constructing blocks of what would change into profitable prosecutions had been pulled out,” stated Gerbasi, who retired because the part’s performing deputy chief for coverage in March 2025 after 28 years with the division.

The transfer had an “overwhelming deflating impact on morale,” he stated.

Barbara McQuade, who labored as a federal prosecutor in Michigan for 20 years till 2017 throughout Republican and Democratic administrations, stated it was commonplace for brand spanking new administrations to come back to workplace with just a few “pet priorities” — resembling a concentrate on violent crime or drug trafficking. However she stated these adjustments often concerned modest changes in coverage and that a lot of the selections on what crimes to concentrate on had been sometimes made on the native stage by the district U.S. lawyer in coordination with the FBI or different businesses.

“We’d revise these about each 5 years, not having something to do with any administration, simply because it made sense,” she stated.

A DOJ spokesperson, in an emailed response to questions in regards to the spike in declinations, stated that in “an effort to wash, remediate, and validate information in U.S. Attorneys’ case administration system,” the division reviewed all pending felony issues opened previous to the 2023 fiscal 12 months, which included updating the standing of closed circumstances. “This Division of Justice stays dedicated to investigating and prosecuting all sorts of crime to maintain the American individuals protected, and the variety of declinations is a direct results of our efforts to run the company in a extra environment friendly method.”

The company didn’t reply to questions in regards to the sorts of circumstances declined.

The spike of declined circumstances started in February 2025 when the division ordered prosecutors to assessment each open case launched previous to October 2022 and decide whether or not to shut it. Such a assessment would sometimes take months, based on one lawyer tasked with reviewing circumstances. A memo, which was described to ProPublica reporters, ordered the assessment to be accomplished inside 10 days.

Former DOJ prosecutors advised ProPublica that they sometimes reviewed caseloads each six months with supervisors and that closing out languishing circumstances wouldn’t ordinarily be trigger for concern. They stated the February directive, nonetheless, was uncommon. None might recall the same order.

The directive got here as higher-ups within the division had begun making frequent calls for for information about particular sorts of circumstances and charging selections, resembling the end result of fentanyl circumstances, based on former prosecutor Michael Gordon. Gordon, who helped prosecute Jan. 6 circumstances earlier than transferring to white-collar crime prosecutions, stated the “hearth drills” from officers in Washington turned so common that he grew used to the forlorn look on his supervisor’s face when he confirmed up at Gordon’s door, apologetically delivering one more frantic request.

“It was both ‘give us stats we will use to make ourselves look good’ or ‘give us the stats to point out how dangerous issues are on this space,’” Gordon stated. “It was by no means productive fact-finding.”

Although Gordon didn’t see the memo, he remembered getting the request to assessment all circumstances that had been open for greater than two years and report again on their standing, coming into right into a grasp spreadsheet fundamental details about any that he wished to maintain pursuing.

“The workplace was pushing us to shut the whole lot by a sure date in order that after they needed to report as much as D.C. they’d a low variety of open circumstances,” he stated. “You actually needed to go to bat to maintain open a case that was greater than two years outdated.”

Gordon stated he was fired by the DOJ final June. He has filed a lawsuit alleging his termination was politically motivated. The division didn’t reply to questions on Gordon’s feedback or his lawsuit. The federal government filed a movement to dismiss the case late final 12 months, arguing that the federal courtroom didn’t have jurisdiction over the matter. The courtroom has not but dominated on that movement, and the case remains to be pending.

Investigations into people or companies declined for prosecution are typically not reported to courts and often solely disclosed in abstract type by the DOJ in annual stories. To conduct its evaluation, ProPublica obtained declination information from the DOJ and the Transactional Information Entry Clearinghouse, a middle that obtains information by Freedom of Info Act requests.

Listed here are a few of the areas most impacted by the spike in declinations.

Medicine

As president, Trump has spoken regularly in regards to the “scourge” of medicine coming into the nation. On the identical time, the Justice Division has declined to prosecute practically 5,000 circumstances of federal drug legislation violations, together with trafficking and cash laundering. The variety of declinations had been 45% greater than the typical of the prior three new administrations.

Gerbasi, the counternarcotics prosecutor, declined to touch upon particular circumstances that may have been declined in his workplace. However, he stated, as soon as Bondi was appointed, the precedence within the workplace turned constructing circumstances towards Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan group that the Trump administration has labeled a international terrorist group.

“Tren de Aragua was not anyplace near the dimensions or influence of the cartels we had been targeted on,” Gerbasi stated. “However we had been advised to generate these circumstances.”

He stated his workplace needed to scramble to fly individuals to analyze native gangs in small cities that had been reportedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua. “They by no means would have merited a full-scale federal investigation,” he stated.

“It advised me that selections had been going to be primarily based on political appearances and never primarily based on the deserves of the place investigative assets ought to be positioned.”

The DOJ declined to touch upon Gerbasi’s remarks.

Nationwide Safety

Below Bondi, the DOJ declined greater than 1,300 circumstances involving terrorism and nationwide safety, practically twice what was typical firstly of the newest new administrations. Whereas home terrorism was the hardest-hit program, simply over 300 circumstances involving fees of offering materials assist to international terrorist organizations had been additionally dropped.

The DOJ program dealing with issues referring to nationwide inner safety — which considers circumstances of alleged spy exercise and the safety of categorised info — noticed over 200 declinations, which is 4 occasions as many as typical within the first six months of a brand new administration. Among the circumstances associated to serving as an unregistered international agent, a cost Bondi ordered prosecutors to cease pursuing except they concerned “conduct just like extra conventional espionage by international authorities actors.”

Jimmy Gurulé, a former federal prosecutor and George W. Bush appointee to the U.S. Treasury Division who investigated the financing of terrorism, stated the decline in terrorism circumstances was troubling.

“The Trump DOJ has been used as a political weapon,” he stated. “It’s a query of prioritizing assets. Are they going for use for nationwide safety threats or to prosecute his political enemies and critics?” The DOJ didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Gurulé’s remarks.

Labor

The DOJ shut down over 60 union corruption and labor racketeering circumstances, 2.5 occasions the quantity in Trump’s first time period. Almost half of the circumstances turned down for these offenses had been out of the New Jersey U.S. lawyer’s workplace, which prior to now has aggressively pursued alleged union corruption. All had been famous as declined for inadequate proof.

Most of these circumstances had been opened by Grady O’Malley, an assistant U.S. lawyer who oversaw a number of prosecutions of union corruption whereas working within the New Jersey workplace over 4 a long time. He retired in 2023 and was disturbed to be taught from former colleagues that the workplace was shutting down the open union probes.

A Trump supporter, O’Malley stated that whereas he doesn’t blame the president, he worries the choice to drop so many circumstances might embolden unions that he and his colleagues spent years working to carry accountable. “Nobody is assigned to do labor union circumstances, and the unions have each cause to consider nobody is wanting.”

The New Jersey U.S. lawyer’s workplace stated it had no touch upon the declination of labor circumstances.

White-Collar Crime

The Trump administration has pledged to root out “rampant” fraud in federal profit packages like meals stamps and welfare. The controversial surging of federal brokers to Minnesota in January started as a said crackdown on noncitizens allegedly ripping off diet and youngster care packages.

The DOJ, nonetheless, shut down greater than 900 circumstances of federal program or procurement fraud within the first six months of the administration, together with one concentrating on a mortgage lender accused by a number of state regulators of defrauding the Federal Housing Administration. The case was dropped because of “prioritization of federal assets and pursuits.” The U.S. lawyer’s workplace for the Northern District of Alabama, which declined the case, didn’t reply to a request for remark. The variety of fraud circumstances closed was about double that in the identical time interval of the Biden and first Trump administrations.

The company additionally closed over 100 well being care fraud circumstances on account of “prioritization of assets and pursuits” although the Trump administration has stated it’s making this space of enforcement a precedence.

Amongst different circumstances the DOJ decided weren’t a precedence: the probe into the Virginia nursing house accused of abuse, in addition to investigations in Tennessee into fraud at a nationwide hospital chain and one of many largest Medicaid managed care firms.

The Western District of Virginia U.S. lawyer’s workplace, by a spokesperson, declined to touch upon the nursing house case. A spokesperson for the U.S. lawyer within the Center District of Tennessee stated the workplace doesn’t touch upon investigations that don’t lead to public fees.

The DOJ’s Antitrust Division, which focuses on stopping massive companies from creating dangerous monopolies, additionally declined an unusually excessive variety of circumstances in Trump’s second time period. Greater than 40 circumstances had been dropped throughout the first six months of Bondi’s tenure. That’s greater than double the quantity declined in the identical time interval by the prior three new administrations.

Regardless of the declinations, the division stated it charged barely extra individuals with fraud in 2025 in contrast with the ultimate 12 months of the Biden administration, and people circumstances alleged bigger monetary losses.

Guarantees Stored

The DOJ below Bondi has additionally quickly pursued most of the priorities specified by Trump’s early govt orders and her personal “first day” directives to employees.

Trump in February 2025 issued an govt order pausing new investigations below the International Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits residents and corporations from bribing international entities to advance their enterprise pursuits. The order requested the lawyer basic to assessment and “take acceptable motion” on any present probes to “protect Presidential international coverage prerogatives.”

Within the first six months, Bondi’s DOJ shut down 25 such circumstances, which is greater than the mixed quantity dropped by the prior three new administrations over the identical time interval. One of many circumstances declined for prosecution concerned a significant automotive producer, which had reported attainable anti-bribery violations to federal investigators involving a international subsidiary. The DOJ declined the case for prosecution final June, citing the “prioritization of federal assets and pursuits.”

On her first day, Bondi ordered a assessment of felony prosecutions below the Freedom of Entry to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act, which prohibits individuals from illegally blocking entry to abortion clinics and locations of worship. The division dropped as many circumstances below the act in its first six months because the previous three new administrations mixed, over the identical timeframe. Bondi’s order targeted on “non-violent protest exercise,” though no less than one of many closed circumstances was being investigated as a violent crime. The DOJ has since charged protesters towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement and journalists in Minneapolis below the FACE Act. The defendants within the case have pleaded not responsible.

The company closed thrice the variety of circumstances alleging environmental crimes because the Biden administration did and one-and-a-half occasions as many as in contrast with Trump’s first time period. The declinations got here because the DOJ reassigned and lower prosecutors engaged on environmental circumstances. One-fifth of all the dropped environmental safety circumstances had been shut down for “prioritization of federal assets and pursuits.”