The administration seeks to prosecute 'flag desecration' with jail and other penalties

"Restore respect, pride, and sanctity to the American flag." That's the stated goal of an executive order signed by the president Monday directing the Attorney General's Office to "vigorously" prosecute anyone for "desecrating" the Stars and Stripes.

"Over nearly two-and-a-half centuries, many thousands of American patriots have fought, bled, and died to keep the Stars and Stripes waving proudly. The American Flag is a special symbol in our national life that should unite and represent all Americans of every background and walk of life. Desecrating it is uniquely offensive and provocative," reads the order called Pursuing the Burning of the American Flag.

"If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail," the president said during the rubric. "You will see flag burning stop immediately." The order, however, does not specify the duration of the punishment.

With his signature, the president also ordered the revocation or cancellation of any residency or naturalization process, "and other immigration benefits" for immigrants who attack the national flag.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that burning the flag was an act protected by the First Amendment. Therefore, in his order Trump orders both to focus on those who, having committed other crimes, have also burned the flag, prosecuting them for the first one, and to seek a new case that could challenge the Supreme Court's ruling.