By Michael V. Cusenza
Adamantly opposed to the City’s plans to install a migrant camp at Floyd Bennett Field, part of the Jamaica Bay Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) trekked down to Washington to deliver testimony before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands in support of HR 5283 – a bill put forward by Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) which would prohibit the use of federal funds to place migrant housing on federal lands. The bill is a direct response to the ongoing migrant crisis, which has forced municipalities to seek out federal properties upon which to shelter asylum seekers.
“There is no more room in New York City,” Ariola told the members of the subcommittee before urging urging the federal government to act and end this crisis before it gets even worse.
“Floyd Bennett Field draws on average nearly one million visitors each year to its meadows, fields, forests, and shorelines,” the Councilwoman said in her testimony. “Remote control aviation enthusiasts make use of the old runways, students utilize the sporting fields and wait all year for their field trips to the seasonal petting zoos and pumpkin patches, and families make use of the campgrounds to enjoy the thrill of gathering around a campfire and sleeping under the stars without ever having to leave the five boroughs. Fishermen dot the shorelines, momentarily forgetting about the stresses of their home lives while they hope for the next big catch, and birdwatchers patrol the meadows in search of rare migrating bird species.”
“All of these things stand to be in jeopardy should we allow Floyd Bennett Field to be transformed into a tent city for those crossing our southern border. Thousands of asylum seekers being placed in the middle of this park would mean that the many daily visitors who rely on this urban oasis to get a fleeting glimpse of the great outdoors would be unable to do so. Sections of the park would be completely sealed off from the public, converted into tents and support facilities. The campgrounds would be made into an administrative center for the new complex, the runway turned into living space, the meadows suddenly too busy with activity for birds to arrive. The list of changes would go on and on, and would radically alter the park as it is known and enjoyed today”
Councilwoman Ariola was joined by Troy Heithecker, Associate Deputy Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Simon Hankinson, a Senior Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, and Dr. George Lewis, the Chair of the C&O Canal National Historical Park Federal Advisory Commission. The Secretary of the US Department of the Interior, Deb Haaland, was also invited to testify, but declined to appear.
Ariola and Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (D-Brooklyn) are calling upon residents to peacefully activate and assist in the fight against the proposed migrant shelter at the park.
“This area is entirely unsuitable for a migrant shelter, and the residents of Brooklyn and Queens should not be made to pay the price for a failed border policy from the Biden administration,” Ariola said on Friday. “Placing a shelter here would be wrong for the migrants, and it would be wrong for the people who enjoy the amenities at Floyd Bennett Field. This is the wrong decision all around, and we need to make our voices heard loud and clear on this matter.”
