The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations convened today to address concerns regarding President Joe Biden's border policies and their impact on National Park Service (NPS) property and the surrounding community in New York City. Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) issued a statement criticizing the administration's approach:
"Since taking office, Joe Biden has rolled back many of President Trump’s strict immigration policies and has welcomed tens of millions of illegal aliens into our country. Migrant encampments on America’s precious federal lands are being used to shelter thousands of illegal aliens, ignoring repeated concerns raised by law enforcement and local residents. Housing illegals on national park land is neither an appropriate use of our nation’s most treasured places nor does it address the Biden administration’s border crisis. Left unchecked, this flawed policy could expand into other public lands and national parks, transforming the legacy of our park system from one of natural beauty to a pay-to-play system prioritizing illegals over our shared national and cultural history."
In summer 2023, after signing a lease with New York City, the Biden administration established a migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), part of the Gateway National Recreation Area in NYC. House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans have opposed this decision, arguing it constitutes an abuse of power and misuse of federal lands.
The committee has held multiple hearings to hold the Biden administration accountable and gather input from affected communities regarding this lease agreement. Legislative efforts include H.R. 5283, the Protecting Our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023, which aims to prohibit federal funding for housing illegal immigrants on federal lands. This legislation passed out of committee on October 26, 2023, and was approved by the House of Representatives on November 29, 2023.
Chairman Westerman and other Republican members visited FBF in September 2023 to observe how the site had been transformed into a migrant encampment, limiting access for NYC residents.
Reports indicate increased criminal activity around FBF, including domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams. Despite these issues, officials responsible for converting FBF into a migrant camp have avoided congressional oversight.
The committee has initiated an investigation into the FBF lease involving document requests and interviews with several federal agencies such as NPS, Department of Homeland Security, Council on Environmental Quality, and White House officials. On October 18, 2023, the committee underscored that housing migrants on federal land sets a dangerous precedent that could extend to other national parks if not addressed.
Today's hearing continued efforts to hold Biden administration officials accountable while listening to Brooklyn community members about the adverse effects on Floyd Bennett Field due to current border policies.
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