WASHINGTON -- Scores of federal agents fanned out across Washington D.C. on Sunday night, after President Donald Trump promised a swift crackdown on crime and homelessness in the nation's capital.
"The homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. "We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital."
Trump also said the U.S. government would target criminals, posting, "Be Prepared! There will be no 'Mr. Nice Guy.' We want our Capital back."
In a separate post, the President said he would hold a press conference at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday to talk about "ending the Crime, Murder, and Death in our Nation's Capital."
In fact, Washington, D.C. has seen declining crime rates in recent years, with violent crime hitting a 30 year low in 2024, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Meanwhile, the immediate impact of Trump's action on Sunday appeared less sweeping and dramatic than his social media posts suggested.
Groups of uniformed agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies could be seen strolling streets in small groups. At least 120 FBI agents were reassigned from other duties to take part in Sunday's patrols.
At one intersection, a minor traffic accident between a car and a moped brought at least two dozen agents running, some wearing masks and one carrying a rifle. Local D.C. Metropolitan police were also on-scene.
Locals and tourists enjoying summer ice cream and other street food looked on as agents gathered, with some residents voicing confusion about the presence of uniformed federal officers.
But some homeless residents in a camp nearby said they are worried by what they described as Trump's threat to displace them.
"I'm definitely afraid that he could do whatever he wants to do, but I can't live my life in fear," said Greg Evans, age 38, who has lived in a small homeless encampment near the Lincoln Memorial for several months.
Evans said he has struggled for years with addiction and other health problems. He told NPR he thinks most Americans want the federal government to help poor people and others who are struggling.
"I see plenty of compassion," he said. "There's plenty of compassionate people out there."
George Morgan, age 65, who lives in the same tent camp, said he is disappointed by Trump's rhetoric and believes the U.S. should use more of its wealth to help people who need housing and healthcare.
"As much as God has blessed America, and we're constantly begging God to bless America, truth be told we're in a shamble and in hot water in terms of taking care of our own," Morgan said.
Writing on social media, meanwhile, Trump said purging homeless people from Washington, D.C., would be part of a wider effort to beautify the capital.
"Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again," Trump wrote.
He offered no explanation for where homeless people would be sent, but in a social media post last week Trump suggested he is considering a federal takeover of policing in Washington.
"If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore," Trump said.
Speaking Sunday on MSNBC, the mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, said she is aware that Trump has "a lot of concerns about homeless" but she argued that the situation is improving.
"So we are going to keep talking to the president, working with his people on the issues that are a high priority for him," Bowser said.
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