US President Donald Trump has announced plans to relocate homeless residents away from central Washington DC, linking the move to crime reduction efforts.
Posting on his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump said accommodation would be provided “far from the Capital” and promised a tougher approach to public safety.
The president’s comments follow an order last month that eased arrests of homeless people and his recent decision to deploy federal law enforcement into the city.
On Friday, agencies including the US Park Police, FBI, DEA, and US Marshals were sent in, with around 450 officers reported on the streets over the weekend.
Trump has said he will detail his plan at a White House news conference on Monday, aiming to make the city “safer and more beautiful than it ever was before.”
While the full strategy remains unclear, Trump has previously suggested creating “high-quality” tent housing outside urban areas, with access to facilities and medical services.
His latest action comes after a 19-year-old former government employee was injured in an alleged carjacking attempt, an incident he highlighted online.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has rejected Trump’s claims of rising crime, stating that violent crime has fallen to a 30-year low since a spike in 2023.
She also criticised comments from the White House likening the capital to Baghdad, calling them exaggerated and inaccurate.
Federal statistics show the city’s homicide rate remains high relative to its population, with 98 killings reported this year.
However, combined violent crime rates — including carjacking, assault, and robbery — have dropped to their lowest in decades.
An estimated 3,782 people are homeless in Washington DC on any given night, according to Community Partnership, with most in shelters or public housing and roughly 800 living on the streets.
As a federal district, the city is subject to federal oversight, but Bowser disputes Trump’s authority to take control of the Metropolitan Police Department, saying legal conditions for such a move are not currently met.