President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday directing federal agencies to prosecute acts of desecrating the American flag when they amount to crimes such as incitement, hate crimes, or property destruction.
“Our great American flag is the most sacred and cherished symbol of the United States of America,” the order said, adding that burning it “is uniquely offensive and provocative” and may incite violence.
The measure instructs the attorney general to prioritize enforcement of criminal and civil laws against flag desecration and allows immigration authorities to deny visas or deport foreign nationals involved in such acts.
The announcement comes after scattered incidents in recent years in which US flags were burned at protests across the country.
In April 2024, demonstrators in New York City waving the banners of Hezbollah, Iran’s ally in Lebanon, torched American flags during an anti-Israel rally in Manhattan.
Months later in Washington, DC, protesters opposing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress burned a US flag near Union Station, with several arrests reported.
Outside the United States, flag burnings have long been a fixture in Iran, where state-organized rallies for decades have featured the torching of American and Israeli flags.
In June 2025, crowds in Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz and Isfahan torched US flags during mass state-sponsored demonstrations, chanting slogans against the United States and pledging loyalty to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In earlier years, Iran’s parliament itself staged televised burnings of the American flag.
