US President Donald Trump [official website] signed [press release] three executive orders on Thursday aimed at targeting drug cartels, creating a task force to reduce crime and stopping crimes against law enforcement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions presented the orders to Trump as his first act as head of the Department of Justice [official websites]. Trump stressed the importance of these orders stating, “I’m signing three executive actions today designed to restore safety in America.” The first order [text] takes aim at international drug cartels by calling on the administration to strengthen federal laws and give high priority in federal law enforcement to go after such organizations, as well as directing federal agencies to maximize information sharing among themselves and with foreign governments. The task force order [text] gives Sessions broad authority to establish a task force aimed at developing strategies “to reduce crime, including, in particular, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and violent crime. The final order [text] seeks to define new federal crimes and establish new mandatory minimum sentences for crimes against law enforcement.

Trump has been very proactive signing executive orders at the start of his term as president. Last Friday Trump issued an executive order [JURIST report] to take the first steps in dismantling Dodd-Frank and other Obama-era financial regulations in order to implement a “pro-growth” economic policy. In January, the president also signed an order [JURIST report] aimed at reducing the number of federal regulations. Also in his first weeks of office Trump signed orders withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, preventing foreign non-governmental organizations supporting abortions from receiving US funding, and withholding federal funding [JURIST reports] for so-called “sanctuary cities.”