TEXAS — It’s standard practice for incoming presidents to replace most U.S. attorneys — which are appointed by presidents and confirmed by the Senate — but President Donald Trump made a sweeping move to rapidly remove all Biden-appointed posts this week, including Jaime Esparza, who served the Western District of Texas that includes the Big Bend region.
Most U.S. attorneys — who are political appointees and not civil servants — expect they may be asked to leave and prepare for their departure, but it has been widely reported that Trump didn’t have Department of Justice (DOJ) staff coordinate with many of the fired attorneys to allow for a smooth transition to new posts. Alexander Uballez, U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico, told KOAT News that he knew something was about to happen when all of his “devices” were turned off Friday, then he got an email requesting his resignation on Monday afternoon.
In contrast, former President Joe Biden retained a handful of U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump, and at the time, the DOJ held a conference call with all exiting attorneys to discuss transitions.
Trump posted yesterday on his Truth Social platform: “Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before. Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence,” Trump wrote. “America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System – THAT BEGINS TODAY!”
It’s unclear how many of the 93 U.S. attorneys are affected by the move; Biden appointed at least 68. But the action comes after a wave of terminations of DOJ attorneys who were involved in January 6 insurrection case prosecutions.. At least nine department attorneys have resigned in protest over the DOJ’s attempt to dismiss corruption charges against Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“I think the war on the federal work force is meant to inspire fear,” Uballez told KOAT. “It’s meant to scare people out.”
Esparza was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2022. He came to the Western District of Texas after serving as the district attorney for the 34th Judicial District of Texas, in El Paso, from 1993 to 2020.
The Western District of Texas comprises 93,000 square miles, 68 counties, and covers 660 miles of U.S.-Mexico border. It has divisional offices in El Paso, Del Rio, Waco, San Antonio, Austin, Pecos, Alpine and Midland-Odessa.
Esparza could not immediately be reached for comment, and a spokesman for Western District said he was unfamiliar with the requests made of Esparza. The district put out a statement announcing Esparza’s departure and highlighting his accomplishments.
“Esparza led the handling of more than 41,000 federal criminal prosecutions — including immigration, drugs, firearms, white collar, and violent crime — and more than 10,000 civil cases in this southern border district,” the statement said. “He made it a priority to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations, including gangs, cartels and smuggling organizations. He also led and elevated outreach programs to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl and machinegun conversion devices, and to bring awareness to domestic violence issues, among others.”
“Additionally, his team of asset recovery lawyers obtained millions of dollars in restitution for victims and forfeited millions of dollars in property that were used to commit crimes or were obtained with proceeds of crime,” the statement said.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman will serve as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas until Trump appointments a permanent replacement.