Overview

• Signed on Aug. 25, the executive order directs the attorney general and the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute flag-burning incidents using existing criminal and civil laws.
• The text does not include the one-year prison term President Trump announced during the signing.
• The order argues that certain acts of flag profanation may fall outside First Amendment protections if they are likely to incite imminent unlawful action or constitute fighting words.
• It instructs the State Department and Homeland Security to deny, revoke or terminate visas, residency and naturalization benefits for noncitizens who engage in flag profanation, and to pursue deportation.
• The White House compares the measure to a prior monuments order and asserts it will deter flag burnings, with the president claiming such acts provoke unrest without offering examples.