Republican-led House Committee A summons was issued President Trump on Friday demanded records from the Department of Homeland Security about the “shady backroom deals” that led to the establishment of a migrant camp at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
The House Natural Resources Committee forced Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to turn over documents, saying his agency “repeatedly blocked congressional investigations” into a shelter for 2,000 migrants on the Jamaica Bay coast and “did not even acknowledge” that others were investigating.
“Using our national parks to house migrants and cover up Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ border crisis is a gross misuse of our national treasures. It sets a worrying precedent for the future of our public lands,” Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, said in a statement.
“This committee has been conducting oversight for months into the shady backroom deals that have led to the construction of a crime-ridden, rundown encampment within the national park,” he added.
“Today, I will use the full authority of this Committee to get to the bottom of this disastrous decision and hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for their desecration of America’s most cherished public landscape.”
Evidence obtained by the committee indicates that the Department of Homeland Security was “primarily involved” in efforts last year, working with President Biden’s White House, to turn National Park Service (NPS) land into a migrant camp site.
Republican committee members noted months ago that a coordinated effort by White House senior adviser Tom Perez, New York Gov. Kathy Hockle and New York City Mayor Eric Adams would loosen federal rules and allow tent shelters to be set up in August 2023.
Wenstrup’s committee still wants the initial lease agreement to be reached between relevant federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security and the Interior, and Empire State Office officials.
The Natural Resources Committee has requested that all documents be submitted by August 23rd.
The decision infuriated Brooklyn residents who had seen many immigrants begging in their neighborhoods, leading to a spike in crimes including assault, shoplifting and prostitution.
In January, students at James Madison High School were also forced out of their classrooms on a windy, rainy night to allow migrants at Floyd Bennett Field to take shelter in the gymnasium.
New York residents and other elected officials have since rallied to oppose the re-lease of the encampment this year, accusing local, state and federal officials of “putting illegal immigrants above New Yorkers.”
“There are other places these migrants from Base Camp can go,” City Councilwoman Joan Arriola (R-Brooklyn) said at a raucous rally on June 23. “We need to be able to go and enjoy our national parks. That’s been taken away from us.”
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
