SW Arkansas Times

The National Park Service (NPS) announced today the renewal of the lease for Floyd Bennett Field, where the Biden-Harris administration established a migrant encampment last year citing a state of emergency. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) responded critically to this decision.

"In a futile attempt to cover up for their disaster at our southern border, the Biden-Harris administration is willingly signing New Yorkers up for more chaos and crime in their community," Westerman stated. "What the White House once called ‘temporary’ has mutated into a multi-year debacle. The migrant encampment has been nothing but trouble and has ruined what was once one of New York City's most prized treasures for outdoor recreation. Desecrating our country's national park lands to cover up for Border Czar Kamala Harris' failed policies is an insult to New Yorkers and all Americans.”

The Biden-Harris administration initially set up the migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City, on September 14, 2023. Today’s announcement extends the original lease by an additional year.

Last year, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing to address local officials' concerns regarding the use of national park land for a migrant encampment. The committee also introduced H.R. 5283, known as the Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023, which aims to prohibit federal funding from being used to house illegal immigrants on federal lands. This bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on November 29, 2023.

Furthermore, an investigation into the Floyd Bennett Field lease has been initiated by the committee involving requests for documents and briefings from various federal agencies including NPS, DHS, and White House officials. On August 9, 2024, Chairman Westerman issued a subpoena to DHS for documents related to this lease agreement.