The President signed four executive orders this week – one providing an order of succession within the Department of Justice, another directing the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to “break the back of criminal cartels”, another forming a task force on reducing violent crime, and the final one directs planning to stop crime and crimes of violence against law enforcement.
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice
This Executive Order (EO) replaces a previous EO issued by President Trump on January 13. It provides for an order of succession at the Department of Justice in the event that the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, and any officers designated by the Attorney General have died, resigned, or otherwise become unable to perform the functions and duties of the office of Attorney General. The new order of succession following the incapacitation of all of the above individuals is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, followed by the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The January 13 EO established the succession order as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice Executive Order
Executive Order on Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking
The EO directs the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence to co-chair and direct the existing interagency Threat Mitigation Working Group (created by President Obama in 2011 to identify transnational organized crime networks that present a sufficiently high national security risk) to:
- Work to support and improve the coordination of Federal agencies’ efforts to identify, interdict, investigate, prosecute, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations within and beyond the United States;
- Work to improve Federal agencies’ provision, collection, reporting, and sharing of, and access to, data relevant to Federal efforts against transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations;
- Work to increase intelligence and law enforcement information sharing with foreign partners battling transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, and to enhance international operational capabilities and cooperation;
- Assess Federal agencies’ allocation of monetary and personnel resources for identifying, interdicting, and dismantling transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, as well as any resources that should be redirected toward these efforts;
- Identify Federal agencies’ practices, any absence of practices, and funding needs that might hinder Federal efforts to effectively combat transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations;
- Review relevant Federal laws to determine existing ways in which to identify, interdict, and disrupt the activity of transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, and ascertain which statutory authorities, including provisions under the Immigration and Nationality Act, could be better enforced or amended to prevent foreign members of these organizations or their associates from obtaining entry into the United States and from exploiting the United States immigration system;
- Issue quarterly reports detailing convictions in the United States relating to transnational criminal organizations and their subsidiaries;
- Identify methods for Federal agencies to coordinate with State, tribal, and local governments and law enforcement agencies, foreign law enforcement partners, public-health organizations, and non governmental organizations in order to aid in the identification, interdiction, and dismantling of transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations;
- Consult with the Office of National Drug Control Policy in implementing this order; and
- Within 120 days of the date of this order, submit to the President a report on transnational criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations and issue additional reports annually thereafter.
Executive Order on Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking
Executive Order on Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety
This EO directs the Attorney General to establish a Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. The Task Force shall exchange information and ideas and develop strategies to reduce crime (in particular illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime), identify deficiencies in existing laws, evaluate the availability and adequacy of crime-related data and identify measures that could improve data collection, and conduct any other studies and develop any other recommendations as directed by the Attorney General. The Task Force must submit at least one report to the President within one year.
Executive Order on Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety
Executive Order on Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers
The Attorney General is directed to develop a strategy to use existing Federal laws to prosecute individuals who commit or attempt to commit crimes of violence against Federal, State, tribal, and local law enforcement officers and to coordinate with State, tribal, and local governments, and with law enforcement agencies at all levels to prosecute these crimes. The AG will also review existing Federal laws to determine whether they are adequate, make recommendations to the President for legislation to address the gaps in protection and safety of law enforcement officers, coordinate with other Federal agencies to develop an executive branch strategy on the issue, and evaluate grant funding programs and make recommendations to the President for any changes to grant funding.
Executive Order on Preventing Violence Against Federal, State, Tribal, and Local Law Enforcement Officers