With an increased federal presence expected as soon as next week, Chicago officials and housing advocates are taking lessons from President Trump’s takeover of Washington, D.C. and working to lessen the impact on the city’s homeless population.

“The City believes firmly that being unhoused is not a crime, so we will not be assisting with any sort of arrest or enforcement towards the unhoused community for being unhoused,” said Chief Homelessness Officer Sendy Soto in a media briefing Thursday.

Soto also said city departments will not aid federal agents in clearing homeless encampments throughout Chicago.

When Trump announced that he was taking over the D.C. police force and activating the National Guard, he said they would clear homeless encampments to keep the nation’s capital from bec

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