Trump orders homeless to leave Washington DC ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump has renewed his push to remove homeless people from Washington DC, promising to relocate them “FAR from the Capital” while also deploying federal law enforcement to address what he calls spiralling crime in the city.

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday, adding, “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

The president posted photos of tents and litter alongside a warning that “there will be no ‘MR. NICE GUY’,” and declared: “We want our Capital BACK.” He also teased a Monday press conference to unveil a plan to make Washington “safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.”

Trump’s comments follow a federal crackdown announced last week, which saw agents from the US Park Police, DEA, FBI, and US Marshals deployed into the city. The White House stated that up to 450 federal officers were deployed on the streets on Saturday night.

While Trump has framed the effort as a response to “totally out of control” crime, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected that assessment. “We are not experiencing a crime spike,” she told MSNBC, noting that violent crime has fallen to its lowest level in three decades. “Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false,” she added, referring to White House official Stephen Miller’s claim that the city is “more violent than Baghdad.”

Bowser acknowledged a surge in crime during 2023 but noted that recent years have seen significant declines. Federal data support her claim, showing that overall violent crime, including carjackings, assaults, and robberies, hit a 30-year low last year, even though the homicide rate remains comparatively high.

Trump has long floated relocating homeless populations outside city limits. In a 2022 speech, he suggested building “high quality” tent facilities on inexpensive land, complete with bathrooms and medical care. According to local advocacy group Community Partnership, roughly 3,782 people in DC experience homelessness on a given night, with about 800 sleeping outdoors.

The president also cited a recent alleged attempted carjacking involving a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency employee, sharing a photo of the injured victim online.

Trump hinted he could seek greater federal control over the DC Metropolitan Police Department, though Bowser dismissed the idea, saying, “None of those conditions exist in our city right now.”

As a federal district rather than a state, Washington DC operates under congressional oversight, with the president holding certain powers over federal property and agencies, but not full authority over local law enforcement without legislative action.

Trump said Monday’s White House briefing would focus on ending “crime, murder and death” in the capital, as well as its “physical renovation.” While he described Bowser as “a good person who has tried,” he argued that the city is still becoming “dirtier and less attractive.”