The proclamation comes as part of an executive order titled “Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag,” signed on August 25, 2025, which instructs the Attorney General to prioritize federal prosecution of flag desecration under existing laws — “to the fullest extent permissible by the Constitution.”Trump and his team frame the move as a defense of national dignity and public order. In his own words:You burn a flag, you get one year in jail… You will see flag-burning stopping immediately.”But the order is not without caveats: it does not itself create new criminal penalties. Rather, it directs federal prosecutors to aggressively pursue cases under statutes already in place — but only in instances that fall outside First Amendment protectionsAdditionally, the order authorizes immigration consequences — including revoking visas and withholding naturalization — for noncitizens found to have desecrated the flag under circumstances where such actions are considered punishable