(CNN) - A man was arrested Monday after burning an American flag in front of the White House.

Jay Carey, who identified himself as a 20-year combat veteran, said he did it to protest President Donald Trump.

Secret Service officers arrested him and doused the burning flag with a fire extinguisher.

Park police, which has jurisdiction over the area, said it is illegal to light a fire on land controlled by the National Park Service except in designated areas.

The incident came just hours after Trump signed an executive order enacting stricter penalties for flag-burning.

In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled flag burning is a protected form of speech under the First Amendment.

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