The top federal prosecutor for South Texas just told his office what to focus on. His name is Aaron F. Reitz. He is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. That office covers Houston and reaches all the way down to the Rio Grande Valley.

On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Reitz sent out new guidance to his prosecutors. It lists five main goals. Think of it like a to-do list for federal law enforcement in this part of Texas.

A "strategic priorities memo" is not a new law. It does not charge anyone with a crime. It tells prosecutors and federal agents where to spend their time and money. For regular folks, that memo can be a hint at what kinds of cases start showing up in federal court next.

Reitz explained why this matters to him. "We all swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," he wrote. "That's our mission as a U.S. Attorney's Office: to uphold the Constitution and Rule of Law."

Here are the five priorities he listed.

The first is public safety. Reitz wants to cut down on violence from gangs, repeat offenders, and drug and human traffickers.

The second is going after transnational criminal groups and foreign terrorist organizations. That means cartels and criminal networks that deal in drugs, women and children, guns, and people crossing the border illegally.

The third is defending American sovereignty. That covers securing the border, helping deport and punish people who are in the country illegally, protecting election integrity, and guarding government institutions against foreign interference.

The fourth is fighting public corruption. Reitz says his office will go after officials who take bribes, commit fraud, break election laws, or abuse their power.

The fifth is protecting taxpayers from fraud. That means prosecuting people who steal money tied to federal benefits, government contracts, disaster relief, or immigration programs.

Reitz also listed five character traits he wants his prosecutors to show. Those are judgment, justice, integrity, courage, and loyalty.

He said the Southern District of Texas carries a heavy load. "The Southern District of Texas is at the forefront of the most sophisticated federal law enforcement work in the nation," he wrote. "No other district has the combined diversity and complexity of scale, geography, population, coastline, economy, or border like we do."

He ended with a simple line about what is at stake. "We must seek justice," he wrote. "And we must win."

The Southern District of Texas stretches from Houston down through the Rio Grande Valley, including Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties. Any shift in federal priorities there can shape which cases get charged, and how fast, across South Texas in the months ahead.