Under the direction of President Joe Biden and his “immigration chief,” Vice President Kamala Harris, a historic wave of illegal immigrants has flooded across the southern border. As every city in America becomes a border community, the Biden-Harris team scrambled to find something, anything, that could quickly solve their crisis. Their solution? Announced on September 13th. Another Despite ongoing protests from the local community, the government has signed a one-year lease to house migrants on national park grounds. A year after the “temporary” migrant camp was first set up at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, we are left with more questions than answers.
The current situation is even more disturbing than we could have predicted 365 days ago. New Yorkers have lost access to recreational spaces, students are barred from classrooms because flooding forced migrants to evacuate parks to a nearby public high school, and local residents face threats from migrants jumping in front of moving cars to extort money from drivers. Despite the Biden-Harris Administration announcing a one-year extension of release, we once again call on them and the New York authorities to answer to the American people.
Since our visit to New York City last fall to inspect the migrant camps in person, the House Committee on Natural Resources has repeatedly sought explanations from senior government officials, including from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Interior, and the White House. This oversight includes subpoena power, and we issued a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security in August seeking documents related to lease agreements. Documents provided to the Committee as a result of the subpoena show the Biden-Harris Administration's role in the decision to coordinate leases across government agencies, and in coordinating messaging from internal emails to site visits to White House press conferences.
We have held numerous public hearings with local elected officials and law enforcement representatives about this unprecedented lease. We also worked with New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis to pass the Protecting Communities from Border Security Failures Act of 2023. This bill addresses many of the concerns we raised about the Floyd Bennett Field migrant camp and would prohibit federal funds from being used to detain migrants on national park grounds. The bill passed the House in late 2023 and awaits consideration in the Senate.
Enough is enough. New Yorkers have long been paying the price for the Biden-Harris Administration's failure to secure our borders. As the new leases dry up for signature, restoration of the national park, including the wetlands adjacent to the migrant camps, will be delayed another year. Restoration is necessary so all visitors can enjoy full access again. Since the national parks closed, youth sports, swimming, kayaking and other outdoor recreational activities have been canceled or prohibited to accommodate the illegal migrant camps. Floyd Bennett Field is also home to New York City's only overnight campground, which is closed to accommodate migrant tents.
This year has been marked by Biden-Harris Administration officials actively evading Congressional oversight and accountability. We will not allow the White House to hide behind this lease renewal. It is time for the Administration to come to its senses and return Floyd Bennett Field to the people of New York.
Paul A. Gosar represents Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bruce Westerman is chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
