In a new initiative aimed at combating crime, the White House announced Tuesday that homeless individuals in the nation’s capital could face fines or jail time if they refuse to comply with efforts to clear homeless encampments.
Speaking to reporters, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt outlined the administration’s plan. “Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental-health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time,” she said.
Leavitt added that the administration was exploring options to relocate homeless individuals “far from the capital.” Since March, U.S. Park Police have cleared 70 homeless encampments from federal parks and are scheduled to remove the two remaining sites in the city later this week.
This crackdown has prompted a rapid response from local organizations. Andy Wassenich, director of policy at Miriam’s Kitchen, an organization that provides services to the homeless, said his team was working to inform people of the new policy. “Go to a shelter if you can, if you can stand it. If you have anybody you can stay with, get off the street, and seek safety and let us know what we can do for you,” he advised, highlighting the widespread confusion surrounding the new measures.
President Trump initially announced the crackdown on social media, where he also declared a temporary takeover of the District of Columbia’s police department. As part of this effort, he is deploying 800 National Guard troops and an additional 500 federal law enforcement agents.
A billionaire real estate developer, Trump has described the homeless as one of several groups, including “violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs,” who he claims have “overtaken” Washington. He has likened his plan to his administration’s actions to secure the U.S. border with Mexico.
The move comes as the nation grapples with a persistent homelessness crisis. According to the latest Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report to Congress, homelessness reached a national peak in 2024, with over 771,000 men, women, and children experiencing homelessness on a single night.
The HUD report estimated Washington’s homeless population at 5,616, a 14.1% increase from the previous year.
This made the District, with a population of just over 700,000, the 16th among the top 20 U.S. cities with the largest homeless populations. Despite this ranking, HUD data showed Washington had the highest prevalence of homelessness among U.S. states, with 83 homeless individuals for every 10,000 people.
