President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Thursday aimed at helping local governments dismantle homeless encampments and restore public order.

The order grants Attorney General Pam Bondi the authority to override legal obstacles — including prior court rulings and consent decrees — that have hindered efforts to relocate homeless individuals, according to CNN.

Additionally, the directive redirects federal resources to support the placement of homeless individuals into rehabilitation and substance abuse treatment facilities.

Trump’s order instructs Bondi to coordinate with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, HUD Secretary Scott Turner, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to expedite funding for cities and states that address open drug use, illegal squatting, loitering, and street encampments. It also calls for monitoring registered sex offenders.

On Friday, Trump called the initiative “common sense.”

“Right outside, there were some tents, and they’re getting rid of them right now, you can’t do that — especially in Washington, DC,” Trump told reporters from the South Lawn.

“I talk to the mayor about it all the time, I said you gotta get rid of the tents,” he said.

“We can’t have it — when leaders come to see me to make a trade deal for billions and billions and even trillions of dollars, and they come in and there’s tents outside of the White House, we can’t have that. It doesn’t sound nice,” the president said.

“I think it’s terrible, and we’ll have them removed immediately,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that the order demonstrates Trump’s commitment to restoring safety and dignity in American communities.

“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,” Leavitt said.

Homeless advocacy groups were quick to criticize the order.

Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, issued a statement arguing that the action would worsen the crisis.

“These executive orders ignore decades of evidence-based housing and support services in practice,” he said. “They represent a punitive approach that has consistently failed to resolve homelessness and instead exacerbates the challenges faced by vulnerable individuals.”

The National Homelessness Law Center also denounced the executive order, calling it dangerous and unconstitutional.

In a statement released Thursday, the organization said the directive “deprives people of their basic rights and makes it harder to solve homelessness.” They cautioned that the order would increase policing and institutionalization while pushing more people into tents, vehicles, and the streets.

This executive action follows a Supreme Court ruling last month that upheld an Oregon city’s decision to fine homeless individuals for sleeping outdoors. The Court found that such anti-camping laws do not violate the Constitution’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

The decision was closely monitored by local and state leaders working to address homelessness and public safety, particularly in parks, underpasses, and public spaces. It also drew concern from many living in encampments, who fear being penalized amid a lack of available shelter.

Homelessness in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024, with more than 770,000 people experiencing homelessness — an 18% increase from the previous year. The Department of Housing and Urban Development attributed the surge to housing shortages, natural disasters, and rising numbers of migrants in need of shelter.

Trump has made homelessness a central issue in his 2024 campaign. At a rally in North Carolina in September, he described the crisis as one that is “destroying our cities.”

“The homeless encampments will be gone,” Trump said. “They’re going to be gone.”

“Oh, you have to see, you have to — some of these encampments, what they’ve done to our cities, and we’ve got to take care of the people,” he added.