Hundreds of National Guard troops fanned out across Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as the Trump administration rolled out an aggressive new campaign to remove homeless encampments from the nation’s capital.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the initiative will give people living on the streets a choice: accept a shelter placement and, if needed, addiction or mental health services — or face fines and possible jail time.
“Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment… If they refuse, they will be subjected to fines or jail time,” Leavitt said, framing the plan as part of President Trump’s push to “make D.C. safe and beautiful.” She said federal and local law enforcement will strictly enforce laws already on the books to clear public spaces.
The crackdown comes despite federal crime data showing violent crime in the city hit a 30-year low last year, with other offenses also down sharply. In a rebuke of those numbers, Trump argued that “drugged-out maniacs and homeless people” have eroded the city’s quality of life. On his social media platform this week, he suggested the goal is not just to relocate homeless residents but to move them out of the capital entirely: “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”
That rhetoric has alarmed housing advocates, who argue that policing people out of encampments won’t address the underlying causes of homelessness. Jessie Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center noted that shelter space is scarce and often located far from public transportation, jobs, or community ties. “There are very few beds available,” Rabinowitz said.
Experts who work with D.C.’s unhoused community warn that the Trump administration’s emphasis on moving people off of the streets and into treatment is unrealistic. At the moment there’s a major shortage of recovery facilities equipped to deal with fentanul and methamphetamine addiction. You can’t just sweep people up, move them to a rehab facility and expect them to be cured.
Critics point out that the administration has cut funding for addiction research, treatment grants, and Medicaid — programs many unhoused people rely on. It has also proposed significant reductions in rental assistance at a time when housing costs in D.C. and across the country have soared.
“They’re cutting the housing for people,” said Constance Harrison, who lives in a tent near the Lincoln Memorial. “I wish they would stop treating homeless people like we’re dogs and like we’re all addicts.”
Trump has indicated he wants similar actions in other cities. Advocates fear that Washington’s crackdown could become a national template — one that punishes homelessness rather than addressing it. “The solution isn’t to put them in jail,” said Ann Oliva of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. “It’s to give people a safe, affordable place to live — and the support to stay there.”
