U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to remove homeless people from the nation’s capital and put criminals in jail, even though the city’s mayor says crime is not currently rising.

Speaking on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will provide you with accommodations, but they will be far from the Capital. The Criminals… we’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

According to officials, the Trump administration is preparing to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, though the exact number and their role have not been decided. Unlike other states, where governors control the National Guard, the president directly commands it in Washington, D.C.

This comes after Trump recently sent the Guard to Los Angeles to handle immigration protests, despite objections from local leaders. The White House has not explained what legal authority Trump would use to evict homeless people, since the president only controls federal land and buildings in the city.

Mayor Muriel Bowser rejected Trump’s claims, saying violent crime in D.C. has dropped 26% this year compared to 2024, and overall crime is down 7%. “This is not 2023,” she said, noting that crime is now at a 30-year low.

Washington has about 3,782 single homeless people on any given night, most of whom are in shelters or transitional housing, according to The Community Partnership, a nonprofit working to reduce homelessness.

Trump’s remarks follow an incident where a young administration staffer was violently attacked, which reportedly angered him. Federal law enforcement officers were deployed in large numbers across the city on Saturday, with officials saying 450 officers were involved in tackling offences ranging from unlicensed gun possession to reckless driving.

Trump is expected to hold a press conference on Monday about “stopping violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” though it is unclear if he will share more details about the eviction plan.