Former President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Thursday targeting homelessness, allowing cities to forcibly remove unhoused individuals from public spaces and place them in treatment or institutional facilities. Touted by Trump’s team as a move to “restore public safety,” critics call it “dangerous” and “unconstitutional,” warning it criminalizes poverty and revives outdated institutional practices.
Civil rights groups and legal experts say the order could lead to mass detentions of vulnerable people without due process, sparking major backlash online and across advocacy networks. Lawsuits are expected as the nation grapples with how to handle homelessness—through housing solutions or forced removal.
