The Trump Department of Justice just put everyone on notice: if you touch a federal officer during immigration enforcement, you will be prosecuted. No exceptions, no excuses, no matter how difficult the case. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche delivered that message at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix on Wednesday, telling law enforcement officials and border security professionals that the DOJ has already brought 1,400 cases in the past year against individuals who were physically aggressive with ICE, CBP, and Justice Department employees. That is not a vague policy goal. That is 1,400 real cases already on the books. DOJ will prosecute people who assault federal law enforcement ‘every single time’: Blanche https://t.co/o0MkOeZgw9 — Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) May 8, 2026 Blanche did not leave any ambiguity about what he meant. Speaking to an audience inside the Phoenix Convention Center, he laid out the DOJ’s position in plain terms: every assault will be investigated, every assault will be prosecuted, and resources or difficult judges will not change the calculus. Washington Examiner reported on Blanche’s remarks: Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche promised to go after every individual who assaults federal law enforcement conducting immigration enforcement “every single time,” standing firm Wednesday on the Justice Department’s intolerance for protesters. “At my Department of Justice, if a rioter or an illegal alien or somebody you’re trying to arrest touches a federal law enforcement officer in any sort of manner that’s aggressive, we will take that case and prosecute them for assaulting a federal officer,” Blanche told attendees at the Border Security Expo conference in Phoenix on Wednesday morning. “Every single time my team hears about an assault, whether it’s through your agencies telling us, whether it’s through our U.S. attorneys, we always say, investigate and prosecute the case no matter what,” Blanche said to a round of applause from the audience inside the Phoenix Convention Center. “No matter if it takes resources, no matter if it takes time, no matter if it’s a tough case, no matter if the judge is going to give the guy bail, it doesn’t matter. We’re still going to do it.” The phrase “every single time” is doing a lot of work in that statement, and it is meant to. Blanche is telling the agents on the ground that headquarters has their backs. When someone swings at a CBP officer during an arrest, that person will face federal charges. Period. DOJ will prosecute people who assault federal law enforcement ‘every single time’: Blanche https://t.co/5u02bULEXS — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 6, 2026 Blanche’s keynote appearance at the Border Security Expo was itself a signal. DOJ leadership was a new addition to this year’s program, reflecting how deeply the Justice Department is now woven into the operational side of border enforcement. Border Security Expo described the significance of adding DOJ to the lineup: Border Security Expo 2026 has confirmed a major addition to its program, with U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche set to deliver the Opening Keynote on Wednesday, May 6. The inclusion of Department of Justice leadership brings a critical enforcement and prosecutorial perspective into this year’s discussions, reflecting the growing role DOJ plays across the border security mission. As operational priorities evolve, DOJ continues to play a central role in combating immigration fraud, illicit trade, and financial crime; disrupting cartel and transnational criminal activity; expanding enforcement through new prosecutorial authorities; addressing assaults on federal officers during lawful enforcement; and prosecuting criminal actors tied to border-related activity. These priorities are increasingly interconnected with the work of DHS and its components, shaping how agencies coordinate across enforcement, intelligence, and legal frameworks. Together, these discussions reflect how policy, funding, and operational execution are increasingly aligned across the homeland security enterprise. That list of priorities reads like a mission statement for an administration that treats border security as a whole-of-government effort, not something you hand off to one agency and hope for the best. While in Phoenix, Blanche also addressed several other major legal battles, including the administration’s fight over birthright citizenship and the ongoing CBP One parole-status litigation. He took audience questions and sat down for interviews with local media. The bottom line from Phoenix is straightforward. Under President Trump, the Justice Department is not treating assaults on federal immigration officers as minor incidents to be plea-bargained away or filed into a drawer. The policy is zero tolerance, backed up by 1,400 prosecutions and counting. Federal officers enforcing immigration law now have the full weight of the DOJ behind them, and anyone who decides to test that commitment will find out the hard way.