'We want our capital Back!': Trump Cracks Down on Crime and Homelessness in Washington

President Donald Trump has declared a “Liberation Day” for Washington, D.C., vowing to cleanse the city of rampant crime and homelessness. In a fiery statement on Truth Social, he announced that homeless individuals would be relocated far from the White House, while criminals would be “given comfortable homes in the form of prisons.” The National Guard has already been dispatched to the capital.

Trump’s Pledge to Reclaim the Capital

“We want our Capital back! I am going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The homeless have to move out, immediately. We will give you places to stay, but far from the Capital. The criminals, you do not have to move out. We will put you in jail, where you belong," Trump wrote in his social media post.

American media recently reported that Trump planned to deploy National Guard units to the capital to combat crime and remove homeless encampments. The decision followed a violent incident in which a group of teenagers attacked 19-year-old former government employee Edward Koristin, prompting Trump to declare that crime in Washington was “completely out of control.”

Federal Control Threat and Orders to the Mayor

Trump warned that if the District of Columbia failed to act quickly, the federal government would have no choice but to take direct control of the city. Since returning to the White House, he has pressed Mayor Muriel Bowser to clear the streets of homeless encampments, insisting the capital must be “clean and safe.” On August 10, he announced plans to relocate homeless residents “far from Washington.”

FBI and National Guard Mobilization

In response, the FBI deployed about 120 agents to patrol the city and assist law enforcement in tackling car thefts and violent crime. Sources told Reuters and The Washington Post that Trump may send several hundred National Guard troops to the capital. According to The Washington Post, many of the FBI agents assigned are counterintelligence and anti-corruption specialists, lacking both the skills and authority for street patrols. Even members of the U.S. Secret Service are reportedly preparing to join the citywide patrol effort.

New Rules for Removing the Homeless

As noted by Axios, last month Trump signed an order simplifying the process for municipalities to evict homeless people and place them in long-term facilities, including psychiatric institutions — even without their consent if they suffer from certain conditions.

A Global Political Tactic

The practice of “clearing” cities of homeless residents is not unique to the United States. Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, French authorities moved over 12,000 homeless people, undocumented migrants, and drug addicts to the outskirts. In the same year, Cape Town authorities in South Africa were authorized to evict about 200 homeless individuals from central streets. Before the 2021 G7 Summit in Cornwall, UK authorities removed homeless residents from hotels used for social housing. In 2012, Jerusalem officials dismantled a tent city housing 30 homeless families to make way for a marathon. And before the 1980 Moscow Olympics, vagrants and other “undesirables” were sent beyond the 101-kilometer mark, effectively sealing off the capital. Yet, despite such measures, the homeless inevitably return to cities, drawn by warmth, shelter, and the hope of a meal — sometimes with butter.