All homeless people have been asked to leave Washington DC after President Donald Trump, on Sunday, made the pledge to evict the homeless, and jail criminals in the nation's capital.
His comments came even as the Washington DC mayor argued that there has been no current spike in crime.
"The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, "We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong."
Details of Trump's plan remains unclear but the administration is preparing to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington – mirroring what Trump did in Los Angeles.
Also Read | Washington DC being federalized? What to know about Donald Trump's latest order after DOGE staffer attacked
Unlike other states, where the governor has a say on National Guard deployment, in DC, the president can take that call. Trump's announcements have also sparked fears that the President might be looking to federalize DC.
{{/usCountry}}Unlike other states, where the governor has a say on National Guard deployment, in DC, the president can take that call. Trump's announcements have also sparked fears that the President might be looking to federalize DC.
{{/usCountry}}While legal experts have opined that this is a possible but tricky proposition, let us take a look at how many homeless people are there in DC who will be affected by Trump's order.
How many homeless people are there in Washington DC?
There are 3,782 single persons who experience homelessness on any given night in the city of about 700,000, as per Community Partnership, an organization working to reduce homelessness in DC.
Meanwhile, the 25th annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count showed 5,138 people were experiencing homelessness on one night in the district. This is down from the 5,616 people in 2024, as per a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) report.
Notably, DC had witnessed a rise in homelessness in 2022 and 2023, but saw a fall in 2024, as per the PIT count.
However, housing advocates told Street Sense Media that the true scope of homelessness is higher than reported and that there were not enough investments for homeless services in the proposed FY 2026 budget.
According to them, this could jeopardize any progress the city had made.
Fears of federalization and why is Trump pushing for it now
Trump has, in the past, also suggested federalizing DC, but his recent announcement has sparked fresh fears. Legal experts have said that this would be technically possible but tricky.
His announcement comes after a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer – Edward Coristine or Big Balls – was attacked on August 3, during a carjacking attempt.
Reacting to the news, Elon Musk, who was Trump's ally and the head of DOGE, also called for the federalization of DC.
(With Reuters inputs)