WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump vowed on Sunday to remove homeless individuals from the nation’s capital and incarcerate criminals, despite the mayor of Washington asserting that there is no current surge in crime.
While the specifics of the plan remain unclear, the administration is gearing up to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, according to a U.S. official cited by Reuters, a controversial move that Trump recently employed in Los Angeles to address immigration protests against the wishes of local authorities.
The official noted that Trump has not made a final decision yet and is still determining the number of troops and their specific role.
In Washington, D.C., unlike in California and other states, where the governor typically decides on the activation of Guard troops, the president directly commands the National Guard.
Instances of the Guard‘s deployment in the city in the past include responding to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.
“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “We will provide you with accommodations, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to leave. We will place you in jail where you belong.”
The White House declined to elaborate on the legal basis Trump would use to evict people from Washington. The president only has jurisdiction over federal land and buildings in the city.
Trump is set to conduct a press conference on Monday to address “the eradication of violent crime in Washington, D.C.” It remains unclear if he will unveil more details of his eviction plan at that time.
According to the Community Partnership, an organization dedicated to reducing homelessness in D.C., there are 3,782 single individuals experiencing homelessness on any given night in the city of approximately 700,000.
The majority of these individuals are in emergency shelters or transitional housing rather than on the streets, the organization reports.
A White House official mentioned on Friday that additional federal law enforcement officers were being deployed in the city following a violent assault on a young administration staff member that incensed the president.
Alleged crimes investigated by federal agents on Friday evening included “multiple individuals carrying firearms without permits,” drivers operating with suspended licenses, and individuals riding dirt bikes, as per a White House official on Sunday.
The official stated that 450 federal law enforcement officers were dispatched across the city on Saturday.
The city’s police department noted that violent crime in D.C. had decreased by 26% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the previous year, while overall crime had dropped by approximately 7%.
Washington, D.C.’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, stated on Sunday that the capital was “not witnessing a surge in crime.”
“It is true that we experienced a significant spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023,” Bowser remarked on MSNBC’s the Weekend. “Over the past two years, we have successfully reduced violent crime in this city to a 30-year low.”
Bowser mentioned that Trump was “well informed” about the city’s collaboration with federal law enforcement after meeting with him in the Oval Office several weeks ago.
The U.S. Congress retains control of D.C.’s budget after the district was established in 1790 using land from neighboring Virginia and Maryland, although resident voters elect a mayor and city council.
For Trump to assert authority over the city, it is likely that Congress would need to pass legislation revoking the law that established local elected leadership.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson, Nandita Bose, and Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Clarence Fernandez)
