The House Natural Resources Committee compelled Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to hand over the documents after his agency “repeatedly blocked congressional inquiries” and “failed to even acknowledge” others about the shelter for 2,000 migrants on the shore of Jamaica Bay.
“Using national parks to house migrants and cover up Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ border crisis is an egregious misuse of our national treasures. This sets a concerning precedent for the future of our public lands,” Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said in a statement.
“This committee has conducted months of oversight on the shady backroom deals that resulted in a ramshackle, crime-ridden encampment built in a national park,” he added.
“Today, I’m using the committee’s full authority to get to the bottom of this disastrous decision and hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for desecrating America’s most treasured public landscapes.”
Evidence obtained by the panel shows that the Department of Homeland Security was “principally involved” in the effort to transform the National Park Service (NPS) land into a migrant encampment last year, along with the Biden White House.
Republican committee members noted months before that coordination between White House senior adviser Tom Perez, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams helped relax federal rules to establish the tent shelter in August 2023.
Wenstrup’s panel is still seeking the initial lease agreement between the federal agencies involved — including DHS and the Interior Department — and Empire State officials.
The Natural Resources Committee demanded all documents be turned in by Aug. 23.
The decision has since rankled Brooklyn residents who have observed many migrants panhandling in nearby neighborhoods — and has led to a surge in crimes such as assaults, shoplifting and prostitution.
In January, James Madison High School students were also kicked out of their own classrooms to let the Floyd Bennett Field migrants take shelter in their gym during a night of heavy wind and rain.
Big Apple residents and other elected officials have since rallied to oppose the re-signing of the encampment’s lease this year, slamming local, state and federal officials for having “illegals … prioritized over New Yorkers.”
“There are other places now that the migrants from that base camp can go,” city Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Brooklyn) said at the raucous June 23 rally. “We need to be able to go to our national park and enjoy it. That was taken from us.”
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“There are other places now that the migrants from that base camp can go,” city Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Brooklyn) said at the raucous June 23 rally. “We need to be able to go to our national park and enjoy it. That was taken from us.”
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