By Dave Goldiner
New York Daily News
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at removing homeless people from streets.
The measure, titled by the White House as “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek to overturn legal rulings the Trump administration says make it difficult for cities and states to force homeless people into shelters and substance-abuse centers, USA Today first reported.
It will also redirect federal funding for homeless programs, many of which aim to provide housing to those in need, to addiction programs and mental health resources, although it was not immediately clear how much money would be involved.
“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,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
The order also seeks to prioritize federal grants to cities and states that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders.”
Official figures say America’s homeless population is more than 700,000 and rising. But advocates say the number is actually much higher.
New York City is one of a few jurisdictions with a “right to shelter,” meaning in theory that any homeless person has the right to a spot in a shelter.
Trump has made fighting big city crime and disorder a major plank of his second White House term, although most measures show crime is declining. Instead of working with Congress or big city mayors, most of whom are Democrats , he has preferred to enact executive orders, some of which have faced critical scrutiny from courts.
The edict is touted as forming part of Trump’s commitment to ending homelessness, according to a White House fact sheet. It comes after an executive order in March directed the National Park Service to clear homeless encampments and graffiti on federal lands.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that that authorities can fine or arrest homeless people for sleeping in public spaces. The ruling, which was approved by a 6-3 margin along ideological lines, overturned a lower court’s ruling that it is cruel and unusual punishment to enforce camping bans when shelter is lacking.
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