Reference News Network, August 12 report - According to Reuters on August 10, President Trump said on the 10th that he would evict homeless people from the U.S. capital and put criminals in prison, despite the mayor of Washington D.C. stating that crime rates have not surged.
Trump posted on the "Truth Social" website: "Homeless people must move out immediately. We will provide you with housing, but it should be away from the capital. As for criminals, you don't need to move out. We will put you in prison, which is where you belong."
The White House refused to specify the legal authority under which Trump would evict people from Washington. Legally, the president only controls federal government land and buildings in the city. Trump plans to hold a press conference on the 11th to "stop violent crime in Washington D.C." It is unclear whether he will reveal more details about the eviction plan at the press conference.
Trump wrote in his post: "I will make our capital safer and more beautiful than ever before."
According to Community Partnerships, an organization dedicated to reducing homelessness in Washington D.C., there are 3,782 single homeless individuals each night in this city of about 700,000 people.
The organization said most homeless people live in emergency shelters or transitional housing. About 800 people are considered "homeless on the streets."
A White House official said on the 8th that a young staff member of the Trump administration was violently attacked, which made Trump very angry, and after that, more federal law enforcement officers were deployed to Washington.
Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C. said on the Microsoft-NBC show "Weekend" on the 10th that "the city is not experiencing a surge in crime rates."
Bowser said on the show: "Crime rates did spike in 2023. But it's not 2023 anymore. For the past two years, we have been working to reduce the city's violent crime rate, bringing it to its lowest level in 30 years."
The Washington D.C. Police Department reported that violent crime in the city decreased by 26% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to last year.
In 1790, Washington D.C. was established by taking land from the neighboring states of Virginia and Maryland. Since then, the U.S. Congress has controlled the region's budget, but the mayor and city council are elected by local voters. If Trump wants to take over the city, Congress may have to pass a law abolishing the election of Washington D.C.'s local leadership. (Translated by Zhu Jie)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7537544064352010793/
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