SW Arkansas Times

Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) led a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland, and National Park Service (NPS) Director Charles Sams, following up on the committee's request for the lease termination and a permanent demobilization plan for the migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field. In part, the members wrote:

"The Biden-Harris administration chose to throw caution to the wind by ignoring countless voices opposed to leasing FBF [Floyd Bennett Field] to NYC for the unprecedented action of turning National Park land into a migrant camp. As the FBF lease rapidly approaches its expiration date, the Biden-Harris administration’s failed experiment must end. The agencies responsible for the lease’s execution must clarify their steps to ensure the expedient termination of the lease.

"As you are aware, Section 8 of the FBF lease outlines a series of required improvements, some of which were to begin immediately. The FBF lease requires the tenant to return the areas of the park currently occupied by migrants to their original condition upon expiration. As part of the demobilization of the migrant camp, the Committee also expects restoration of all impacted areas, including wetlands adjacent to migrant tents and improvements required by the lease to be completed immediately so that all may once again enjoy full access to FBF."

Read the full letter here.

After signing a lease with New York City (NYC) in summer 2023, the Biden-Harris administration established a migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), part of Gateway National Recreation Area in NYC. House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans repeatedly conducted oversight on this matter, addressing misuse and denial of access to federal lands. The committee has held multiple hearings seeking accountability from officials and input from impacted communities regarding this unprecedented lease agreement.

The committee has also worked on legislative solutions like H.R. 5283, Protecting Our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023, which prohibits federal funding from being used to house illegal immigrants on any federal lands. The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5283 on Nov. 29, 2023.

Virtually every major concern raised by committee members has materialized; reports include criminality such as domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution and panhandling scams around FBF's migrant camp area. However, Biden-Harris administration officials involved have evaded congressional oversight and accountability.

The committee has launched an investigation into FBF's lease agreement involving document requests, briefings and interviews from several federal agencies including NPS, DHS Council on Environmental Quality and White House officials. On Aug. 9., 2024 Chairman Westerman issued a subpoena to DHS for documents related to this agreement.

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