The Biden administration has expressed opposition to a bill that prevents federal lands from being turned into migrant camps for illegal...
The Biden administration has expressed opposition to a bill that prevents federal lands from being turned into migrant camps for illegal immigrants.
In a Nov. 27 statement, the White House strongly opposed HR 5283 – formally titled "Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act." Under the measure, "the use of federal funds to provide temporary shelter" to illegal immigrants would be prohibited.
HR 5283 would encompass lands falling under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The first three agencies are under the Department of the Interior (DOI), while the last one is under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"The administration opposes this legislation because it would significantly restrict the ability of the DOI and the USDA to make decisions regarding the appropriate uses of their lands and resources, even in emergency or other situations," the statement claimed.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) introduced HR 5283 in August, and the House Committee on Natural Resources approved it in October. In a post on the X platform, she confirmed the committee's approval of her draft bill. Malliotakis also noted in her post that HR 5283 will prevent the Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn and Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island from being converted into housing for illegals.
The historic Floyd Bennett Field was New York City's (NYC) first municipal airport. It was later used by the Coast Guard and the Navy during World War II.
Today, the field serves as one of the largest open spaces in the city – making it ideal for biking fishing, camping and hiking for New Yorkers. Floyd Bennett Field is managed by the NPS and is surrounded by residential communities.
However, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams received federal approval from the Biden administration to utilize the field for migrant housing. Under the scheme, hundreds – and potentially thousands – of unlawful border crossers will be transported there as the Big Apple yields to the migrant crisis.
Illegals prefer COMFY HOTELS over tent cities
New Yorkers did not receive the decision to house migrants at the Floyd Bennett Field warmly, with some voicing out their frustration. Moreover, the illegals heading to the Big Apple appear to prefer hotels in the posh Manhattan borough over tent cities, the Daily Mail noted.
The British tabloid shared an instance where Democrat Assemblywoman Jaime Williams managed to film one such incident that happened on Nov. 12. A group of illegal aliens was transported to the Floyd Bennett Field, which is expected to hold 2,000 people.
However, the furious illegals were immediately loaded on a bus back to Manhattan. They complained that they had jobs back in the city, and their kids had schools to attend. Williams, who represents the 59th district in the New York State Assembly, was left stunned.
She then approached a health worker about what just transpired. "When I asked him why did they leave immediately like that, he said the people … were scared," Williams recounted. "They weren't sure what they were doing here; they don't want to be here, and they asked to leave."
The state representative also noted the tent city's distance between where migrants worked and where their children attended school. "They said, 'It's so isolated; how could I possibly get back and forth to work?' or 'Getting my children to school from here would be insane.' So they all asked to leave," said Williams.
One migrant said he was going back to the Roosevelt Hotel, which NYC Mayor Eric Adams turned into a migrant shelter following its 2020 closure. "We didn't know we were coming here; they just said they were taking us to a shelter," he said. "I cannot stay here, this is crazy."
Another migrant who brought his family with him also expressed his intent to return to Manhattan. He told the New York Post: "I work in the Bronx; my kids go to school in the Bronx. For us to live out here is ridiculous."
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