Trump admin tells DC homeless: go to a shelter or risk fines, jail

President Donald Trump’s administration is giving homeless people in Washington, D.C., two options amid the administration’s crackdown on crime and beautification efforts in the nation’s capital.

During a Tuesday press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the administration is enforcing laws that give the Metropolitan Police Department the “authority to take action when it comes to homeless encampments.”

“So homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment to be taken to a homeless shelter to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time,” Leavitt said. 

“Again, these are pre-existing laws that are already on the books. They have not been enforced, which is part of the reason for this federalizing of the National Guard, to bring in this assistance for law enforcement,” Leavitt added. “While we are targeting criminals and trying to remove criminals off of the streets, we also want to make D.C. safe and beautiful, and that includes removing mentally disturbed individuals and homeless encampments as well.”

Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. Park Police has already removed 70 homeless encampments in the city since March. The White House press secretary noted that there are currently just two homeless encampments in the city’s federal parks that are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and explained that the U.S. Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department will remove the final two homeless encampments this week. 

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In a Sunday post on Truth Social, Trump addressed the homeless encampments scattered throughout D.C., writing, “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital.”

According to Fox News, while Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that the Trump administration is “exploring” the option of relocating homeless encampments to locations outside the nation’s capital, the White House press secretary noted that it is not currently one of the options on the table.