US Justice Department refuses New Mexico’s request for Epstein files | Human Trafficking News
Justice Department Denies New Mexico’s Request for Epstein Records
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has declined to provide unredacted files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the state of New Mexico. In a social media statement released Wednesday, the DOJ claimed that compliance with the request would violate federal law.
“Federal law, court orders, and privacy protections for victims and witnesses do not allow us to release millions of unredacted documents,” the department stated.
The DOJ’s response follows pressure from New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, who has accused the Trump administration of obstructing the state’s investigation into Epstein. In a letter made public last week, Torrez asserted that the administration’s refusal to release critical documents is hindering efforts to investigate allegations of abuse at Epstein’s Zorro Ranch, a property he owned near Santa Fe.
In its recent statement, the DOJ countered that the request fell outside its jurisdiction. “We will continue to follow federal law and the court orders that are in place,” the statement read. “To capitulate to their demands would be to break federal law. Is that what the [New Mexico attorney general] is suggesting?”
The Epstein case has remained a focal point for the Trump administration since he began his second term in 2025. Critics argue that the administration has not met its obligations for transparency, with some suggesting that officials may be protecting powerful individuals referenced in the Epstein files. Trump, who has denied any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities, was part of his social circle.
Epstein has been accused of directing a vast sex-trafficking operation involving numerous victims. Following his death by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody, federal prosecutors requested that New Mexico suspend its investigation to allow their case to proceed.
After the second Trump administration released millions of records in early 2025 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, New Mexico resumed its investigation. In his recent letter, Torrez noted that his office has spent over five months trying to obtain the necessary unredacted federal records to advance the probe, but has yet to receive them.
Torrez criticized the DOJ’s actions, describing them as a “deliberate choice not to cooperate.” He emphasized that each day the records are withheld complicates the potential case for survivors in New Mexico.
“Witnesses relocate and become unreachable; memories, already strained by years of trauma and silence, continue to fade; physical and documentary evidence degrades or is lost,” Torrez stated.
New Mexico is investigating claims that women and girls were trafficked to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch from 1993 until his death. Documents released by the DOJ in January included an unverified report about videos of sexual abuse and allegations regarding the burial of two foreign girls on the property. Survivors like the late Virginia Giuffre have accused Epstein and others of serious crimes committed at the ranch, which state officials claim were not thoroughly investigated.
This dispute occurs amid heightened scrutiny of the Trump administration’s management of the Epstein files. The administration is currently facing questions about its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, enacted in November, which mandates that the DOJ publish its Epstein-related records within 30 days, allowing only limited redactions to protect victims. Despite the release of millions of files, many were heavily redacted, raising concerns over the exposure of victim identities.
