On July 24, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The order directs federal agencies to prioritize grants for jurisdictions that criminalize homelessness — encampment bans, loitering laws, and involuntary institutionalization are framed as tools for restoring public safety. But beneath the surface, this executive order functions less as a funded policy and more as a ritual of sovereign intent. It declares a mythic battle against “vagrancy” and “disorder,” invoking archetypes of chaos and control, while failing to allocate new resources or address the systemic roots of housing instability.
