Trump vows to evict homeless from Washington

 

President Donald Trump has pledged to remove homeless individuals from Washington, D.C., and incarcerate criminals, even as city officials say crime has fallen significantly. Speaking on Truth Social, Trump said the homeless would be relocated “far from the capital” and criminals “put in jail where you belong.” The White House has not explained the legal authority for such an eviction. Trump only directly controls federal lands and buildings in D.C., not city property. A U.S. official told Reuters that the administration is preparing to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, though Trump has yet to make a final decision on their number or role. Unlike in U.S. states, where governors control the Guard, the president commands the D.C. National Guard directly. This would be the second time in weeks Trump has deployed troops over the objections of local officials, having recently done so in Los Angeles during immigration protests.

The move has drawn criticism from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said the city is not experiencing a crime surge. She noted that violent crime is down 26% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to last year, with overall crime down about 7%. Bowser added that the city has worked with federal law enforcement to bring crime to a 30-year low following a spike in 2023. D.C. has about 3,782 single homeless individuals on any given night, most staying in shelters or transitional housing rather than on the streets, according to the Community Partnership. Federal law enforcement officials say 450 officers were deployed across the city on Saturday following a violent attack on a young administration staffer that reportedly angered the president. For Trump to take full control of the city’s governance, Congress would likely have to revoke the law granting D.C. local elected leadership. The president is scheduled to hold a press conference to outline his plan to “stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” though it is unclear if he will provide more details about the eviction policy at that time. The proposals have intensified debate over federal authority in the nation’s capital.

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