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(WASHINGTON, DC) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today announced her legislation to prevent migrant housing on federal lands was passed out of the House Committee on Natural Resources with bipartisan support and approved for consideration by the entire House with a vote on the floor.
Specifically, the Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R.5283), would prohibit federal funding from being used to provide housing for illegal immigrants on any land under the jurisdiction of the Federal Land Management agencies, including the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service. Both Staten Island's Fort Wadsworth and Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field are included under this description, along with any other park in the Gateway National Recreation Area.
"Turning our federal parks into encampments for unvetted migrants from all over the world is unfair to surrounding communities and the taxpayers being forced to foot the bill while having their public spaces taken away," Congresswoman Malliotakis said. "I've joined local and federal colleagues to use every legal and legislative tool at our disposal, from lawsuits to this legislation, to stop the Biden, Hochul and Adams Administrations from taking more open space from our citizens. I appreciate the House Committee on Natural Resources coming to New York City to see the grave misuse of federal land firsthand and thank them for quickly taking up my legislation, putting us one step closer to ending this madness once and for all. It's my hope that this critically important legislation is brought to the floor as soon as possible."
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman also worked with the Congresswoman to to ensure that, if enacted, the law would retroactively cancel the contract between New York City and the Biden Administration to house migrants at Floyd Bennett Field.
"Biden’s border crisis continues to wreak havoc on America with no end in sight. Instead of working with Congress to secure the border, President Biden has instead chosen to target our national parks to make up for his failures," said Chairman Bruce Westerman. "H.R. 5283 is vital legislation to stop the absurd precedent of using federal land to house migrants. Representative Malliotakis has been a strong leader on this issue, and her very district is proof that every state is now a border state under President Biden. With New York City now facing the consequences of Biden’s failed policies, it’s time for Congress to step in and prevent the administration from turning America’s most iconic landscapes into ramshackle camps."
Last month, Malliotakis hosted members of the committee on a tour of migrant shelters across New York City, including the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan and Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field. Since then, the Committee has held two hearings on Malliotakis' legislation, which included New York City Council Member Joann Ariola (R-District 32) and New York State Assembly Member Jaime Williams (D-District 59) as witnesses. Both Ariola and Williams are leading a lawsuit with Malliotakis on this same issue.
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