D.C.’s homeless pack up amid Trump orders

Some of the District of Columbia’s homeless residents were packing their belongings Thursday before expected sweeps to clear out remaining encampments around the nation’s capital, part of President Trump’s federal takeover of policing in the city.

- MEG KINNARD

WIN MCNAMEE Getty Images A MAN gathers his belongings Thursday at a homeless encampment near the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump said this week that homeless people will be moved far from the city in his crackdown on crime. But details of the plan are unclear.

Washington’s status as a congressionally established federal district gives Trump the opportunity to push his tough-on-crime agenda. It has prompted concern from advocates and others who say there are better ways to address homelessness than clearing encampments and leaving their occupants worrying about where they go.

Here's a look at what we know and what questions remain about how Trump’s actions will affect the city’s homeless population:

What’s happening to encampments?

Near the Institute of Peace on Thursday morning, AP journalists saw about a dozen homeless D.C. residents packing their belongings. Items weren't being forcibly thrown out by law enforcement, but an earth mover dug out and scooped away the remains of encampments, depositing them into the bed of an idling truck.

Yards away, several protesters held signs, some critical of the Trump administration. Volunteers from some of the agencies around the city that help homeless people were on hand, and advocates said they expected law enforcement officers to fan out across Washington. later Thursday totake down any remaining homeless encampments,

Amber W. Harding, executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said she believed that “federal law enforcement will begin systematically rounding up and arresting unhoused people.” She believed officers would ask people to move on or would “offer shelter,” arresting people if they refused either directive.