Trump admin brainstorms aggressive tactics to clear homeless camps in cities and forcibly hospitalize people, report

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Saturday 26 April 2025 21:14 BST


Officials from the Justice Department who manage grant distributions are brainstorming ways to clear homeless encampments and increase the involuntary hospitalization of individuals with mental illnesses, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post. This represents the latest indication that the Trump administration is following through on commitments to aggressively remove homeless people from public spaces, as President Donald Trump spoke of during the 2024 campaign.

Just last month, the president issued an executive order aimed at making the District of Columbia “safe and beautiful,” which instructed the National Park Service to remove all homeless encampments from federal land in the capital. In the past, he has spoken of housing the homeless in tent cities on inexpensive land on the outskirts of cities and jailing those who refuse “treatment.”

The email was sent on Thursday evening to employees in the Office of Justice Programs and included eight questions asking for input on how best to direct resources to issues concerning homelessness and mental illness. Recipients have until Wednesday to submit their responses.

“What can DOJ do to more efficiently shift chronic vagrants away from the public square and into a more concentrated space so that order can be restored and resources and services can be deployed more effectively?” one of the questions read. The email stated that the White House had directed the department and other agencies to provide legislative, funding, and other solutions for issues related to homelessness, mental health, and more.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-clear-homeless-encampments-mental-illness-b2740126.html

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Full headline: Trump admin brainstorms aggressive tactics to clear homeless camps in cities and forcibly hospitalize people, report claims

[AZJonnie]

1. So ... let's 'concentrate' all of them into, you know ...

someplace with a bunch of tents? An 'encampment', if you will!

What's that? Oh, sure the fake news media will call it that, but it's not that at ALL! In fact, we also plan to provide them with work!

[BumRushDaShow]

2. ...

[NotHardly]

13. In Nazi Germany, the first killed were the old, mentally & physically disabled...

History may not repeat itself but it frequently sings.

[Dixiegrrrl]

24. And the homosexuals.

Usually not mentioned in most reports.

[krkaufman]

19. Stunning

into a more concentrated space

It seems intentional that they used the word.

[AZJonnie]

21. It most certainly does, and it is absolutely sickening

And the MAGAt's keep cheering 'it's what we voted for!' like a bunch of fucking fiends.

[moniss]

3. There are only facilities and staff for a fraction of

those they would go after.

[Wuddles440]

6. Exactly!

Healthcare resources are already at or near the breaking point in most areas.

[Brainfodder]

4. Maybe one day they will create places to live instead of having to play clean up constantly and stuff?

If only there were organizations that built human habitats.

IF ONLY....



IF ONLY there were a way to manufacturer homes at a reasonable cost.

IF ONLY....

[Blackjackdavey]

5. No simple fix

Hospitals aren't really part of it. Building more houses isn't really part of it. There are certainly individuals whose situation would change with each of those but as a group, unhoused folks would not be appreciably impacted by those things alone. One thing that would have a major impact, would likely never happen, would be banning and holding liable families who persecute and make their homes inhospitable to lgbtqia, neurodivetgent or mentally ill offspring.

[NH Ethylene]

28. I think that would be fascist in its own way.

If their children are adults they are under no obligation to continue to house them - no matter what the reason is. And that is as it should be.

If they are under age there are already laws that exist that require them to take care of them.

[Javaman]

7. like the clearing out of the bonus marchers during hoovers admin...

they killed a couple of those folks.

just waiting for when, not if, now

[Magoo48]

22. Just more horseshit and gunsmoke, fear mongering IMO.

[Javaman]

25. My aren't you the charmer.

Welcome to block. Ta!😁

[ananda]

8. And they're gonna pay for this, how?

Or maybe they will force hospitals to incarcerate people
at their own expense (right)...

... or else find disused, derelicl buildings and just call
them hospitals (right).

[underpants]

33. There are already very few TDO beds already.

Temporary Detaining Order

20 years ago I worked at a CSB. One small hospital got bought up by an expanding college. This city 2-4 TDO beds out. The crisis team said just those fewer beds changed everything.

Getting back to paying, are they going to PAY for more TDO beds? Those beds have to be available. Hospitals can’t use them for anything else. I’m guessing there’s payment of some sort to keep them available but I’d also guess occupied vs unoccupied are two different daily/hourly rates.

[ananda]

34. You sound like you understand the issue.

They don't.

[EarthFirst]

9. "Vagrants" "animals" "poisoning the blood of our nation" "not human"

…looking for “solutions” to “concentrate” those deemed “less than desirable”

What in the fu*king fu*k!

I don’t even recognize this place anymore…

[Nigrum Cattus]

10. "so that order can be restored"

Who's "order"

[Grins]

11. "involuntary hospitalization? "mental illnesses?"

Can’t get any more Soviet than that!

[the nelm]

14. I can think of one individual to start with. Individual 1. n/t

[Iamscrewed]

12. History

This has disturbing possibilities for ending very bad.

[not fooled]

15. How about making the economy more equitable?

Naw, can't do that...doesn't serve the interests of the billionaire class.

They are choosing to handle increasing inequality with increasing force.

[Mawspam2]

16. If he stops birthright citizenship...

...just gather them all up and drop them on Haiti. No longer our problem.

[maxrandb]

17. What can we do?

Ahem.....TAX THE FUCKING RICH AND USE THOSE FUNDS TO HELP THE HOMELESS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!

[BurnDoubt]

18. The "Nut House"...

Remembering my childhood in central California. when passing through Napa, Ca. on our way to the Coast, they would point out the "Nut House", or hospital where patients would be sent if they had issues preventing them from being self-sufficient and homeless (or were an uncooperative wife, for that matter). Governor Ronald Reagan's signature accomplishment was to end those programs, for better or worse. Since then, homelessness has grown and become more of an issue. Hardly any resources are devoted to this, beyond volunteers handing out bread in soup lines. Presumably now we'll begin shipping them off to be housed by those who can sleep at night because they are unencumbered by inklings of Humanity. They're already on speed-dial. And we won't be forced to look at them. Fixed It!!!!!

[BurnDoubt]

20. This is an extremely complex issue, and ...

much, much more attention needs to be brought to bear. This is a Tragedy, and the answers are nowhere evident in our discourse. This needs to be a "Red Ball" issue, all hands on deck.

[Attilatheblond]

30. I lived near a State Mental Hospital in southern Calif during Reagan years. Had friends studying to be care providers

They lived 'on campus'. They, and the residents of the hospital were dumped on the streets so Reagan could say he saved some dollars.

[Hekate]

23. Reagan having closed down the "asylums" starting when he was governor, where the hell will they be housed?

One of those abominable private prisons? Tent city? Concentration camp?

El Salvador?

[LisaL]

29. El Salvador, is my guess.

Trump already said president of El Salvador needs to build more prisons.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. They will tell us what to read, what to think, how to behave

who we can sleep with, and "forcibly hospitalize" people who don't knuckle under.

Freedumb, y'all.

[SSJVegeta]

27. My guess is we end up with something like giving tratment and hospitalization to people who need it

or closer to sending them to El Salvador or some other concentration camp. My fear is they are leaning towards the latter.

[VMA131Marine]

31. Since when is this a federal issue?

The Federal Government has no jurisdiction over homelessness in cities … except maybe DC.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. From the OP

executive order aimed at making the District of Columbia “safe and beautiful,” which instructed the National Park Service to remove all homeless encampments from federal land in the capital.

That's who they are talking about while Congress intentionally "forgot" to give the city a requested $1billion of funding with the last C.R. Then the Senate did a standalone for the money that they passed unanimously and sent over to the House, where the House promptly ignored it, and went on their break.

[electric_blue68]

35. "(or were an uncooperative wife, for that matter)."....

Was I hortified When I found out about that practice!
Truly vile sexism!

[electric_blue68]

36. There are (but not enough) Mental Health Housing Programs...

sometimes a whole dedicated building with in-house services.

Also then levels 1 & 2.
Lvl 2.... I think visits ?3 times/wk with the MHH worker (whether a social worker, or other) of the program. Sometimes go to the office. Usually roomates.The program pays for certain bills. Rent is ?1/3 of SSD or SSI payment. Given some money monthly.

Lvl 1... 1x/month visit. Sonetimes office visit. Single person apt, sometimes a bigger apt (obviously) if roomates. Client pays expenses so given 2/3rds of the SSD/SSI payment, or maaaybe whole amount, and then pays rent to the program.