Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) believes homeless people should have legal immunity and not be “forced to work in exchange for a bed.”
Maxwell made his statement during a press conference Wednesday when he introduced the No Homeless Detention Centers Act.
“Right now there’s a growing effort in this country to treat homelessness like a crime instead of what it is: a housing crisis. Homelessness is a housing issue. Since the Supreme Court’s disastrous grants passed decision, states and cities have been given even more room to criminalize people for sleeping outside, and we are seeing politicians and right-wing organizations push laws that ticket people, arrest people, sweep encampments, and force people into detention-like facilities,” he said.
Frost continued:
And it’s not just right-wing organizations, it’s democratic cities as well that are pursuing handcuffs instead of housing. That does not end homelessness. It just makes being homeless a crime. That’s why today I’m proud to introduce the No Homeless Detention Centers Act. This bill draws a line in the sand if you are receiving federal housing dollars, those dollars should be for helping people to get housed and not locking them away. You should not be forced to work in exchange for a bed.
You should not be punished for sleeping, resting, eating, drinking, or protecting yourself from the elements. And you should never have to choose between being arrested and sleeping outside. Because we know why people are ending up on the streets. The rent is too damn high, housing is too expensive, and wages have not kept up.
Attendees standing behind Frost during the press conference held signs that read “Housing Is a Human Right.”
Watch the entire news conference here:
In 2023, a homeless man in Frost’s state of Florida was charged with first-degree arson after allegedly setting fire to a tent at a homeless encampment while someone was still inside the tent, Breitbart News reported.
The outlet noted the victim suffered burns on his arms and legs during the incident.
“Homeless encampments have become increasing eyesores and safety concerns for cities across the country,” the report said.
The following year, the Florida House passed a bill to prevent homeless people from sleeping in public areas and requiring local governments to create encampments instead.
A report that was also from 2024, which was during former President Joe Biden’s (D) administration, said the homeless population across the United States was growing as migrants flooded major cities.
President Donald Trump in July of 2025 signed an executive order to empower state and local governments to remove homeless people from their streets, per Breitbart News.
The order stated in part “The Order requires the Attorney General to work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of Transportation to prioritize grants for states and municipalities that enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders.”
It also said “The Order redirects funding to ensure that individuals camping on streets and causing public disorder and that are suffering from serious mental illness or addiction are moved into treatment centers, assisted outpatient treatment, or other facilities.”
Frost, one of the Democrat lawmakers who went to El Salvador to advocate for the release of deported illegal migrants, has claimed Trump was “taking notes from dictators,” and also claimed the Republican Party has brought the country into “Jim Crow 2.0.”
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