Trump Signs Order Cracking Down on Crime, Homeless Encampments in DC

 

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 27 to create a task force to help crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., in addition to ensuring that “quality-of-life laws” in the nation’s capital are enforced.

The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force will consist of representatives from agencies including the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Department of Transportation. It will be able to request assistance from local law enforcement in tasks such as monitoring the city’s sanctuary-city policy.

The executive order will ensure a federal role in maintaining order and safety in the District of Columbia.

“America’s capital must be a place in which residents, commuters, and tourists feel safe at all hours, including on public transit. Its highways, boulevards, and parks should be clean, well-kept, and pleasant,” the executive order stated.

“Its monuments, museums, and buildings should reflect and inspire awe and appreciation for our nation’s strength, greatness, and heritage,” it continued. “Our citizens deserve nothing less.”

In August, Trump pledged to combat crime and homelessness in Washington if elected.Washington’s crime and homelessness rates have been a source of scrutiny for decades. The district’s 20-year homicide rate peaked in 2023 before falling by 32 percent a year later, while homicides in 2025 appear similar to last year, according to the Washington Metropolitan Police.

Cumulative violent crime, which includes robberies and sexual assaults, is down 27 percent since last year, with all crime dropping 9 percent.

Meanwhile, Washington’s homelessness rate increased by 14 percent between 2023 and 2024, despite being 12 percent lower than the district’s homeless peak in 2020.

In 2023, Washington had 73 out of every 10,000 residents living in homelessness, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The district had a higher rate of homelessness than the states of New York and California, which had 52 and 46 out of 10,000 residents living in homelessness in 2023, respectively.

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