Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) led a letter to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and National Park Service Director Chuck Sams calling for the immediate closure of the migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field. In part, the members wrote:

"The grave consequences of the FBF lease predicted by the Committee, government officials, local stakeholders, and members of the public have come to pass. The community, migrants, and the Gateway National Recreation Area have all suffered due to increased crime, inadequate infrastructure, and inappropriate use of NPS lands, impacting public safety and the community's well-being. The Biden administration chose to throw caution to the wind by ignoring countless voices opposed to leasing FBF to NYC for the unprecedented action of turning a National Park into a migrant camp. As the lease nears its expiration date, this failed experiment must end."

Read the full letter here.

Background

After signing a lease with New York City (NYC) in August 2023, the Biden administration established a migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The House Committee on Natural Resources has held multiple hearings to hold the administration accountable and hear from NYC communities on this unprecedented lease agreement. Widespread reports of crime in and around the FBF migrant camp include domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution and panhandling scams. The committee has also advanced legislative solutions through H.R. 5283, the 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 House of Representatives passed H.R. 5283 on Nov. 29, 2023.

The committee is conducting an ongoing investigation into the FBF lease, which involves requests for document productions, briefings and interviews from several federal agencies, including the National Park Service, Department of Homeland Security, Council on Environmental Quality and White House officials. On Oct. 18, 2023, the committee highlighted how the Biden administration’s decision to house migrants on federal land set a dangerous precedent that, left unchecked, could expand into other national parks and public lands.