Trump signs executive order to combat vagrancy in the US

Photo of Kelli McClintock in Unsplash

President Donald J. Trump signed a new executive order Thursday aimed at addressing what he has called a "national crisis of homelessness, addiction, and urban disorder." The measure focuses on mandatory civil commitment, the removal of encampments, and the redirection of federal funds toward programs with measurable results.

“Surrendering our cities to chaos is not compassion.”

Trump justified the order by stating that more than 274,000 people are living on the streets in the United States, according to figures from the last year of the previous administration, the highest number on record. According to the document, the "overwhelming majority" of these people suffer from hard drug addiction or mental illness.

The order states that current programs have failed and that the solution must be “the relocation of homeless people to appropriate institutional settings for treatment,” prioritizing public safety over approaches considered permissive.

Pillars of the Executive Order:

1. Civil internment: The Attorney General, in conjunction with Health and Human Services, will seek to overturn judicial precedents that limit the confinement of people with mental illness or addictions who are unable to care for themselves.
2. Grant priority: Financing preference will be given to states and cities that:
   • Ban open drug use.
   • Clear street encampments and urban occupations.
   • Transfer homeless people with addictions to treatment centers.
3. Funding Restriction: The order prohibits federal funding for programs that support drug use, such as safe injection sites.
4. Protection of women and children: Shelters may exclude sex offenders and house exclusively women and children.
5. Data and compliance: Federal beneficiaries must share health and location information with authorities when legally permitted.

The order follows a series of previous actions by Trump, including clearing encampments on federal land in Washington, D.C., and creating centers for homeless veterans. The initiative is part of a "zero tolerance" policy. in the face of what the administration considers a failure of the “housing first” approach adopted by previous governments.

Critics of the measure point to concerns about civil rights violations, the criminalization of poverty, and a lack of structural solutions. However, Trump defends the action as necessary to "make America safe again."

For more stories like this, follow More Latin.

Sources:

• The White House