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The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Saturday it was adopting a no-tolerance policy for homeless encampments in support of the Trump administration’s “beautification” efforts in Washington, D.C.
The previous encampment policy suggested homelessness should be “rare, brief and non-recurring,” according to the District of Columbia website.
It noted the protocol for cleaning public spaces was only triggered when a site presented a security, health or safety risk or if it interfered with community use.
“With this in mind, we provide resources to shelter, pathways to housing and access to behavioral health services to individuals at these locations,” officials wrote on the website.
Washington, D.C., workers dismantle tents and remove personal belongings during a sweep of a homeless encampment in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday those living in homeless encampments will need to either accept treatment at a homeless shelter or go to jail if they refuse.
The U.S. Park Police have already removed 70 homeless encampments in D.C., with only a few remaining, Leavitt said.
The remaining two sites were expected to be cleared this week by multi-agency teams, including the FBI, Secret Service and D.C. police.
Members of the National Guard and armored vehicles near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also announced other interior policy modifications for criminal activity.
Burgum noted that anyone who damages federal property will be “prosecut[ed] to the fullest extent,” though it is unclear what the former policy was.
Doug Burgum, U.S. secretary of the interior, noted other policy changes will involve crime. (Al Drago)
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He added that U.S. Park Police public information officers (PIO) will be more hands-on, with the ability to pursue fleeing criminals under specified circumstances.
Burgum did not specify what led to the PIO policy change.
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The Department of the Interior did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.