Trump to put Homeless in Treatment Centers

M.A. Dworkin

Washington, D.C. - President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order that would force states and cities to round up and rehouse homeless people, which includes drug addicts, and people suffering from mental problems, in “treatment centers.” 

The latest move by the Trump Administration to “Make America Safe Again,” is to end “endemic vagrancy”  and “shift homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment.”

The Executive Order explains that on average, more than 274,000 people were sleeping on the streets of cities throughout the U.S.A. each night last year under the Biden Administration.

The Trump Administration crack down on homelessness has terrified many people and left social media users extremely concerned. The Order seeks the reversal of Federal and State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees in order to make it easier for cities to remove homeless people from the streets and place them into these so-called treatment centers. The Order calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek, in appropriate cases, the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time. 

The Order further adds that “shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order… Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told USA Today that President Trump is “delivering on his commitment to Make America Safe Again and end homelessness across America…By removing vagrant criminals from our streets and redirecting resources toward substance abuse programs, the Trump Administration will ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities and that individuals suffering from addiction or mental health struggles are able to get the help they need,” Ms. Leavitt concluded.

However, the new Order has caused some outrage with the National Homeless Law Center (NHLC) calling it dangerous. In a statement they said it would “make homelessness worse as it deprives people of their basic rights. The Order doesn’t do anything to lower the cost of housing (for the homeless) or help people make ends meet. The safest communities are those with the most housing and resources, not those that make it a crime to be poor or sick. Forced treatment is unethical, ineffective, and illegal. People need stable housing and access to healthcare. Rather, Trump’s actions will force more people into homelessness, divert taxpayer money away from people in need, and make it harder for local communities to solve homelessness,” stated the NHLC.

The Order comes after the US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in June to allow cities to ban people from sleeping rough in public places. It was the Court’s most significant decision on homelessness since at least the 1980s, when many experts say the modern homeless crisis began. 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing on behalf of the three dissenting liberal Justices, wrote: “Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime. Homelessness is a reality for so many Americans.”

Several cities issued statements welcoming the ruling. San Francisco said it would help cities “manage our public spaces more effectively and efficiently.”

Yet, reacting strongly to the ruling, the National Alliance to End Homelessness said: “It sets a dangerous precedent that will cause undue harm to people experiencing homelessness and give free reign to local officials who prefer pointless and expensive arrests and imprisonment, rather than real solutions.”