Trump Said D.c. Homeless People Would Have 'places To Stay.' The White House Pointed To Shelters Or Jail.

WASHINGTON — Over nan weekend, President Donald Trump urged bum group surviving successful Washington, D.C., to move retired “IMMEDIATELY” and claimed “we will springiness you places to stay" that are "FAR" from nan nation's capital.

On Monday, he announced that he was federalizing Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and deploying nan National Guard, saying nan national authorities will beryllium “removing bum encampments from each complete our parks” successful bid to “rescue" Washington "from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.”

There were “many places” bum group could go, Trump continued.

As of Tuesday, nan management had provided fewer specifications connected really that would work, alternatively suggesting that displaced bum group return advantage of existing services aliases look fines aliases jailhouse time.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that nan MPD and U.S. Park Police will statesman enforcing “pre-existing laws that are already connected nan books” to clear encampments arsenic nan president seeks to ace down connected crime and “clean up” nan nation’s capital.

“Homeless individuals will beryllium fixed nan action to time off their encampment, to beryllium taken to a bum shelter, to beryllium offered addiction aliases intelligence wellness services, and, if they refuse, they will beryllium susceptible to fines aliases to jailhouse time,” she said.

Pressed connected Trump’s societal media station that bum group would beryllium moved acold distant from nan city, Leavitt said that was still connected nan table. “We’re exploring really we could do that. But again, bum shelters, [being] offered addiction and intelligence wellness services, aliases jailhouse if they garbage are nan options connected nan array correct now,” she said.

Advocates for bum group successful Washington told NBC News that they person not yet heard of immoderate wide action against group surviving connected nan streets, but they are bracing themselves for Tuesday night.

Andy Wassenich, argumentation head for Miriam’s Kitchen, an statement focused connected assisting bum group successful Washington, said he was “flabbergasted” by Leavitt’s suggestion.

“What are these ‘mental wellness services’ and who is paying for it? What does ‘leave’ mean? Are you going to springiness them subway fare to Silver Spring aliases are you going to put them connected a bus? What does that mean?” he said.

“I conscionable cognize that nan resources that are disposable successful nan metropolis are not capable to accommodate nan group who are presently sleeping outside,” Wassenich continued. “What happens if personification says ‘I will spell to treatment’ and each of those slots are full? Then their choices are to spell jailhouse aliases spell away? What if they are not mentally sick aliases supplier addicted but conscionable mediocre and they unrecorded here?”

According to nan Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness is astatine an all-time precocious crossed nan United States. In Washington, location were 5,616 bum group successful 2024, nan latest twelvemonth for which location is data, up from 4,922 successful 2023. The mostly of those group already enactment successful emergency shelters, according to nan Community Partnership for nan Prevention of Homelessness, while astir 800 group unrecorded unsheltered connected nan streets connected immoderate fixed nighttime successful Washington.

Leavitt said that location are only 2 remaining bum encampments successful national parks successful Washington that are nether nan jurisdiction of nan Park Police, adding that 70 encampments had been removed since Trump signed an executive bid successful March directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to nonstop nan National Park Service to region bum encampments.

Those 2 encampments are scheduled to beryllium removed this week, a White House charismatic told NBC News.

There are existing procedures for section officials to coordinate pinch nan national authorities to clear encampments, according to a D.C. official, and that could see shelters and hospitals. One encampment, adjacent P Street NW, was already scheduled to beryllium cleared anterior to Trump’s latest actions.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she hadn’t been briefed connected nan scheme for bum group but planned to travel up pinch Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom she met pinch connected Tuesday.

The district’s “goal is ever to get group housed, unchangeable and independent,” nan D.C. charismatic added, stressing that nan politician has said she wants homelessness to beryllium “brief, uncommon and non-reoccurring.”

Wassenich compared clearing encampments to “a crippled of whack-a-mole.”

“You can’t beryllium here, truthful they move location else,” he said. “They are moving each complete nan place.”