Trump threatens homeless in Washington: prison or forced instruction!

Trump threatens homeless in Washington: prison or forced instruction!

On August 12, 2025, the US government under President Donald Trump has the emergency in Washington, D.C. explains what has led to worrying reactions. The spokeswoman for the White House, Karoline Leavitt, announced that homeless people are threatened with prison terms if they refuse to be brought to homeless accommodation. The aim of this measure is to provide help those affected with addiction problems or mental illnesses.

Trump commented on his platform Truth Social and demanded that homeless people “immediately” have to clear their places in the capital. It also offers accommodations "far from the capital". The spokeswoman Leavitt said that the government continued to check the option to accommodate the homeless. In the meantime, 800 national guards were sent to the capital to secure control.

Objection by local authorities

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described the statement of the emergency as a "troubling and unprecedented" demonstration of power. She pointed out that there was no increase in crime and that the statistics of the FBI even report a decline in violence by 26 percent and a reduction in killing offenses by 12 percent between 2024 and 2025. Bowser emphasized that the violent crimes were at the lowest level in 30 years.

In a joint statement, the mayor and US Justice Minister Pam Bondi pointed out that the capital's police control was limited to 30 days, after which the US Congress would be necessary. This was criticized by human rights organizations, such as the ACLU, as a "attack on fundamental rights". The ACLU also warned of possible tactics in other cities with high proportions of black and Hispanic.

criticism and support

During Democrats Trump's approach as politically motivated and described as "dictator-like", Republicans spoke out for the emergency declaration and described them as a necessary "cleansing" of Washington.

Trump himself had previously announced that criminals should be in prison instead of pulling away. This aggressive statement also comes in response to a violent attack on an American government employee who had annoyed Trump. Bowser warned that the representation of the crime situation by Trump did not correspond to reality.

The recent government measures show that the number of homeless people in the United States, including Washington, has increased. There are more and more people with physical or mental illnesses in the streets of the capital. Trump's business games to treat homelessness as a problem of public security are in contradiction to the understanding that homelessness is primarily a social challenge.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the situation in Washington will develop and whether the measures taken will bring long -term solutions to improve the living conditions of the affected people.

For more information, please visit the articles from vienna.at , taz.de and Tagesschau.de .