US President Donald Trump has ordered homeless people to “move out” of Washington DC, promising accommodation far from the capital as part of a broader plan to curb crime and “make the city safer and more beautiful.”
President Trump noted that criminals would be jailed while tents and street encampments would be removed, he recently signed an order making it easier to arrest homeless individuals and deployed about 450 federal officers, including FBI, DEA, and US Marshals to patrol the capital.
The move follows an alleged attempted carjacking that injured a former government employee.
Mayor Muriel Bowser dismissed claims of a current crime spike, noting that violent crime is at a 30-year low despite Washington DC’s relatively high homicide rate.
She criticised the White House for likening the capital to Baghdad and rejected President Trump suggestion he could take over the city’s police department.
Homelessness advocates estimate about 3,782 people are unhoused in the city on any given night, with around 800 living on the streets, While the president has control over federal land and buildings in DC, Congress would need to authorise a full federal takeover of the district.