Advocates Warn of Mass Arrests of DC’s Unhoused Residents

Advocates warn that mass arrests of Washington, D.C.’s unhoused residents are expected to occur this evening. Crews have already begun destroying encampments and throwing out people’s belongings.

“We believe at 6:30 p.m. federal law enforcement will begin systematically rounding up and arresting unhoused people on the street in D.C.,” Amber W. Harding, the executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, told Truthout in an email. “They say they will ‘offer shelter’ and/or ask people to move on, and if they refuse they will arrest them. We do not have enough shelter beds for everyone on the street.”

In a subsequent email she wrote: “There is a mass effort expected this evening, not just tents, anyone who is homeless.”

The group posted a plea on the social media platform, X, asking city residents to “open your homes, your churches, to pay for a hotel room.”

“People will be arrested,” the group continued. “Not because they are doing anything wrong. Because they don’t have a home.”

This week, President Donald Trump announced that he was taking over the D.C. police department and sending hundreds of National Guard troops into the city. The Home Rule Act allows the president to take over the D.C. police department for 48 hours and then seek an extension for up to 30 days.

During his remarks, Trump vilified the city’s unhoused residents and said they would be “getting rid of the people from underpasses and public spaces from all over the city.”

The next day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that if homeless people “refuse” to go to a shelter, they may be fined or jailed.

“Homeless individuals will be given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time,” she said at the press briefing.

In a joint press release from the National Homelessness Law Center, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and Miriam’s Kitchen, the groups offered advice for people approached by the police, writing:

• Stay calm. You can say clearly, “I am exercising my right to be silent” and “I do not consent to a search of my body or property.”

• If your belongings are on federal land or blocking the sidewalk, passageway or business, offer to move to a better place or to pack up the tent.

• Ask if you are free to leave. If told yes, leave. If told no, try to remember everything you can about the arresting officer (uniform, badge number, name) and any witnesses. Immediately state “I want to speak to a lawyer.” It is always safer to comply and challenge the actions later.

Street Sense Media, a media organization that seeks to end homelessness, reported that all city shelters will be open 24 hours today.

Advocates have lambasted the Trump administration’s plan as cruel and inhumane, noting that criminalizing people does not reduce homelessness.

“The solution to homelessness is always housing first, with supportive services when necessary. Fines, arrests, and encampment evictions make homelessness worse, further traumatize our homeless neighbors while disconnecting them from community and support,” said Dana White, director of advocacy at Miriam’s Kitchen, a D.C. based homeless services organization, in a statement.

She continued: “If policing resolved homelessness, we wouldn’t have homelessness here in D.C. or anywhere else in this country.”