Patriot Brief
- What Happened: President Donald Trump said he is bringing back mental institutions as part of his plan to address homelessness and crime.
- Why It Matters: The policy would expand civil commitment laws and shift federal funding away from Housing First programs.
- Bottom Line: Trump is reversing decades of mental health policy that critics say fueled homelessness and disorder.
President Donald Trump is not backing down from one of his most controversial domestic priorities. On Tuesday, Trump said his administration will continue paving the way for the return of mental hospitals as part of a broader crackdown on homelessness, crime, and public disorder.
Speaking at a press conference marking the one year anniversary of his inauguration, Trump bluntly defended the move. “Signed an executive order to bring back mental institutions and insane asylums. We are going to have to bring them back. Hate to build those suckers but you’ve got to get the people off the streets,” he said.
The executive order, titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” was signed in January. It directs federal agencies including the Department of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Department of Housing and Urban Development to prioritize funding for states that ban public drug use, outlaw urban camping, and expand civil commitment laws.
Civil commitment allows courts to order involuntary treatment for individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others due to severe mental illness. The order also calls on the Attorney General to challenge legal precedents that favor community based care over institutional treatment and shifts federal policy away from Housing First models that do not require sobriety or treatment.
Trump has long argued that deinstitutionalization failed catastrophically. On the campaign trail in 2023, he said, “And for those who are severely mentally ill and deeply disturbed, we will bring them back to mental institutions, where they belong.”
Supporters say the results speak for themselves. Psychiatric bed capacity has collapsed by more than 97 percent since its peak, while homelessness and public disorder have exploded. Trump’s message is simple. Streets are not treatment centers, and America is done pretending otherwise.