WASHINGTON—Homeless people in Washington could face fines and be jailed if they refuse to go to a shelter or receive mental health services, according to the White House.
Homeless people will be asked to leave the encampment, be taken to a shelter, or offered addiction and mental health services. Those who refuse these options will be fined or jailed, Leavitt said.
“These are pre-existing laws that are already on the books,” she said. “They have not been enforced.”
On the first night of the increased law enforcement in the nation’s capital, police made almost two dozen arrests, said Leavitt.
Leavitt specified the offenses that were cited.
Leavitt specified the offenses that were cited.
Leavitt said on Tuesday that the White House would “reevaluate and reassess and make further decisions” when the 30-day period expires.
Trump announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi is “taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department” and that Terry Cole, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, is “designated as the interim federal commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department.”
While the National Guard cannot arrest people, they can detain them until law enforcement arrives.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she was not given advance notice of the takeover of the MPD, on Monday called the change “unsettling and unprecedented.”
