Housing migrants in a Brooklyn facility run by the National Park Service is incompatible with the agency’s mission, Republican lawmakers argued Friday in a letter to Biden administration officials.
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and 21 other Republican lawmakers demanded that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and National Park Service Director Charles Sams explain why Floyd Bennett Camp is being leased to New York City to house unsheltered immigrants.
“Regardless of personal or political beliefs about immigration or immigration policy, there is common ground in keeping our national parks, some of America’s most treasured spaces, out of this debate,” the lawmakers wrote.
“All national parks, whether in rural or urban areas, exist for visitors to experience wonder, recreate and find joy, or simply to learn more about our nation’s great history.”
“However, national parks are not a place for temporary or permanent camping for people who lack housing options,” the letter continues.
Housing migrants in a Brooklyn facility run by the National Park Service is incompatible with the agency’s mission, Republican lawmakers argued Friday in a letter to the Biden administration.Getty Images
“The Governor of New York has recorded the DOI’s reluctance to accommodate the request, due to legal restrictions. “We agree that the use of NPS lands to house unsheltered immigrants is outside the statutory authority of the NPS.”
City officials formally signed a lease agreement with the federal government on Friday that allows the use of Floyd Bennett Field as an emergency site to house some of the more than 113,000 immigrants who have flocked to New York since the spring. past and have overwhelmed the city’s resources, including shelters.
The 1,300-acre site, a former naval air station located in the Gateway National Recreation Area, will be used to house about 2,500 immigrants.
Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed to fully reimburse the city for the lease of Floyd Bennett Field.
The lawmakers note that the “mission of the NPS is ‘to preserve intact the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.’”
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) demanded an explanation for why Floyd Bennett Field is being rented to house unsheltered immigrants.ZUMAPRESS.com
“More specifically, with reference to the Jamaica Bay Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, the Secretary is directed to ‘manage and protect the islands and waters within the Jamaica Bay Unit with the primary objective of conserving natural resources natural resources, fish and wildlife located therein and will not allow any development or use of this area that is incompatible with this purpose,’” they add.
Westerman told The Post on Friday that he was deeply concerned about the lease agreement and accused New York City of “desecrating” national park lands.
“It is deeply troubling to see this announcement today and know that New York City is committed to desecrating our national parks by building migrant shelters,” Westerman said in a statement.
City officials formally signed a lease agreement with the federal government on Friday that allows the use of Floyd Bennett Field as an emergency site to house some of the more than 113,000 immigrants.Paul Martinka
“Biden’s failed border policies have gotten us into this mess, and the burden of getting us out of there should not fall on the National Park Service. Under my tenure as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, I will not stand by and allow this Administration to turn one of America’s best ideas into camps for illegal immigrants.”
Lawmakers are demanding documents and communications related to the lease of Floyd Bennett Field, as well as information about the economic impact of turning that area of the park into a migrant shelter.
The committee set a deadline of September 29 for the Department of the Interior to provide the information.
“We will continue,” Westerman added, “fighting for the most precious spaces in the United States.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn