The Department of Justice plans to hire 311 new assistant attorneys general who will serve across the country, according to a USA Today report.
Nearly 200 will prosecute violent crime. Many of the 86 assigned to civil enforcement will work on combating the opioid epidemic. The remaining 35 will focus on immigration violations and will be in addition to the 35 assistant attorneys the DOJ sent to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this month.
In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the agency is "going on offense against violent crime, illegal immigration, and the opioid crisis."
USA Today also reports these new positions will cost about $72 million of the agency's $27.7 billion 2018 budget.
The DOJ says this is the largest addition of prosecutors in decades.
