Washington Report

President Trump Signs Executive Orders in Support of Law Enforcement & Public Safety

Trump Signs Executive Orders in Support of Law Enforcement and Public Safety

On January 20, 2025, after his inauguration ceremony, President Trump got straight to work and signed numerous executive orders ranging from federal government workforce reforms to trade policy to border security to rescinding many of former-President Biden’s executive orders. There are several that directly impact public safety and our nation’s law enforcement community:

Executive Order on Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety: This executive order rescinds the moratorium on federal executions issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2021 and states that the policy of the United States is to ensure “the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented”.  Importantly, this executive order also directs the Attorney General to pursue Federal jurisdiction and the death penalty in cases involving the “murder of a law enforcement officer”.  NAPO has long advocated for such a policy regarding the murder of law enforcement officers as any person who kills or assaults an officer must know that they will face serious punishment.  

Executive Order on Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions: This executive order repeals many of former-President Biden’s executive orders including Executive Order 14074, “Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety”. The result of this rescission is that state and local law enforcement once again have unfettered access to surplus equipment through the Department of Defense’s 1033 program or the DOJ’s Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program. This equipment is essential not only in protecting communities against violent criminals and active shooter situations, but also in responding to natural disasters, which are unfortunately increasing in frequency.

The repeal of Executive Order 14074 also means that participation in the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database and the National Decertification Index as well as the National Accreditation Standards is no longer required to receive preferences for federal grant funding. NAPO has had serious concerns surrounding these provisions, particularly as they relate to officer rights and due process protections (see our letter to former Attorney General Merrick Garland here and our comments on the National Accreditation Standards here).

NAPO looks forward to working with President Trump and his Administration on advancing effective, accountable policing that does not impinge on officer due process rights and allows officers the tools necessary to protect themselves and their communities. 

Executive Order on Protecting the American People Against Invasion: This executive order strengthens immigration enforcement and establishes criminal enforcement priorities.  It requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to jointly establish Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) in all 50 states that will be comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement. The purpose of the HSTFs is to combat cross-border crime in our communities, including drug and gang crime as well as human trafficking and smuggling. The executive order also promotes 287(g) agreements with states and localities to grant state and local law enforcement officers the necessary resources and latitude to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, and gang and drug activity by criminal aliens. 

The order also calls on the Attorney General and the Secretary of DHS to ensure that “sanctuary” jurisdictions do not get access to federal funds, to the extent possible under federal law.

NAPO has fought for resources such as these to ensure that a comprehensive approach may be taken to securing the lasting safety of our communities by getting dangerous criminal aliens off our streets.

Executive Order on America First Trade Policy: This executive order directs federal agencies to review the causes of the trade deficit, currency misalignments, and other unfair trade practices as well as all existing trade agreements. Importantly, it directs the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, to assess the risks of importing counterfeit products and contraband drugs, such as fentanyl, as a result of the de minimis loophole, and to recommend modifications to prevent unlawful importations.

NAPO believes that comprehensive de minimis reform is immediately required as more must be done to ensure the de minimis trade exemption will no longer be a gateway for illicit drugs and goods to cross our borders. We joined the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole in a letter to President Trump on January 13, urging him to swiftly close the de minimis loophole, and we thank the President for including this important issue among his Day 1 executive actions.

NAPO appreciates this significant show of support for law enforcement and public safety from President Trump in the signing of these executive orders. We look forward to working with him and his Administration to ensure our nation’s law enforcement can efficiently and effectively serve and protect our communities.