U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to address homelessness and crime in Washington, D.C., saying unhoused people should be “immediately removed” from the capital and relocated to shelters “far away” from the city.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would present details of his plan at the White House on Monday, August 11, at 10 a.m. local time, promising to make Washington “safer and more beautiful than ever before.”
Addressing “criminals,” Trump added they would not be relocated like the homeless, but “sent where they belong — prison.”
Trump has previously called Washington unsafe and said he is exploring ways for the federal government to take control of the city from local authorities. One idea under consideration is deploying the National Guard in the area.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard for city law enforcement and said federal help would be better spent on funding prosecutors and hiring staff for the city’s Superior Court.
In her first public remarks following Trump’s criticism, Bowser noted that crime rates have dropped compared to last year, calling the president’s portrayal of Washington as dangerous “exaggerated and false.” She added that “none of the legal conditions required for such federal action exist in our city.”
According to D.C. police data, overall crime in the district has fallen by 26 percent compared to the same period last year.
