Trump signs executive order to remove homeless people

President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at streamlining the removal of homeless individuals from public spaces. The order redirects federal resources toward placing those affected into rehabilitation and substance abuse treatment facilities.

Trump’s statement

Framing the move as a common-sense solution, Trump pointed to visible homelessness in Washington, D.C., as an example of the problem. “Right outside, there were some tents, and they’re getting rid of them right now. You can’t do that — especially in Washington, DC. I talk to the mayor about it all the time. I said, ‘You gotta get rid of the tents,’” he told reporters at the White House. “We can’t have it. When leaders come to see me to make a trade deal for billions and billions and even trillions of dollars, and they come in and there’s tents outside of the White House, we can’t have that. It doesn’t sound nice.”

Leavitt’s statement

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement describing the executive order as part of Trump’s commitment to end homelessness nationwide. “By removing vagrant criminals from our streets and redirecting resources toward substance abuse programs, the Trump Administration will ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities and that individuals suffering from addiction or mental health struggles are able to get the help they need,” she said.

Mixed reaction

Homeless advocacy groups criticized the order, arguing that it prioritizes punishment over proven solutions. “These executive orders ignore decades of evidence-based housing and support services in practice,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “They represent a punitive approach that has consistently failed to resolve homelessness and instead exacerbates the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals.”

The executive order

The executive order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse legal precedents. Additionally, it lifts consent decrees that restrict cities’ ability to remove or relocate homeless individuals. It tasks Bondi with coordinating efforts across several federal departments, including with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. These agencies are instructed to expedite federal funding for cities and states that enforce crackdowns on “open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering and urban squatting.”

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