At a swearing-in ceremony for Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday, President Donald Trump signed three executive orders related to immigration and law enforcement.
“He will be a great protector of the people,” Trump said of Sessions before announcing the orders.
First, Trump said, he was directing the departments of Justice and Homeland Security to “undertake all necessary and lawful action to break the back of the criminal cartels that have spread across our nation and are destroying the blood of our youth and other people, many other people.”
“Enforcing federal law with respect to the transnational criminal organizations and preventing international trafficking,” Trump read as he signed the order later.
The second order, he said, would direct the Department of Justice “to form a task force on reducing violent crime in America.” Later he described it as a “task force on crime reduction and public safety.”
Finally, Trump said, he would direct the Department of Justice “to implement a plan to stop crime and crimes of violence against law enforcement officers.”
“It’s a shame what’s been happening to our great, truly great, law enforcement officers. That’s going to stop as of today,” he said, reading later while signing the order: “Preventing violence against federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officials.”
Copies of the executive orders were released Thursday afternoon.
“Today’s ceremony should be seen as a clear message to the gang members and drug dealers terrorizing innocent people, your day is over. A new era of justice begins, and it begins right now,” Trump said at the end of his prepared remarks, before he signed the orders.
Read the three executive orders below:
This article has been updated.
