In Washington, D.C. — As part of President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington, D.C., the city’s homeless camps are being targeted. This has led to homeless people in the city packing up their things. Trump, who called a “criminal emergency” and took over the capital’s police force, had already said that individuals who didn’t have homes would be transferred “FAR from the Capital.”
A fast response unit shared a video on X of an earth mover cleaning out a camp that had just been abandoned. The tweet said, “This rundown homeless camp is being cleaned up and cleared out right now in Washington, D.C.” President Trump said he would restore our capital city safe and attractive again, and he is doing that.
The Associated Press saw homeless people near the Institute of Peace packing their things in case they had to relocate, but there have been no reports of forced removals yet.
City and federal officials have different ideas about how to handle things.
City and federal officials have reacted differently to the move. Wayne Turnage, the deputy mayor, said that the National Park Service had told the city that it planned to close encampments on federal and district properties. Turnage said the process was “very complex” and that officials are “dealing with people who, in many cases, have been pushed to the edges.” He said that the city has “put a process in place that we think respects that.”
On the other hand, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talked about a more forceful way to do things. She said that “the laws that are already on the books” would be enforced by both local police and federal agencies. Leavitt said that homeless people would have the choice of “leaving their camp, going to a homeless shelter, or getting help for their addiction or mental health.” But she also said that if they didn’t follow the rules, they would face “fines or jail time.”
The case shows how the federal government’s response to what it terms a “criminal emergency” is at odds with the local government’s efforts to deal with a complicated social problem while keeping people’s dignity in mind.