WASHINGTON — In their latest attack on Biden’s border policy, congressional Republicans criticized the federal government’s lease of Floyd Bennett Field to house migrants in New York City.
Although New York and other states have declared a state of emergency on immigration and turned to the federal government for help, representatives of both parties have rejected using Floyd Bennett Field as a solution.
“I will not stand by while President Biden takes [National Park lands] away to atone for a crisis of his own making,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., who chairs the House Committee for Natural Resources.
At a committee hearing on Wednesday, New York City and state representatives expressed concerns over the lease of the field in Brooklyn. They cited frequent flooding and lack of resources like transportation, schools and adequate police presence.
“This past weekend, there was almost five inches of water covering Runway 19, the exact location proposed for housing the migrants. This is not an isolated event but rather a frequent occurrence,” said Jaime Williams, a New York state assemblywoman.
Williams was one of the Democrats who showed her opposition by joining a lawsuit with other city, state and federal lawmakers.
At the hearing, Republicans blamed the influx of migrants into New York City and other sanctuary cities on policies enacted by President Biden.
“You get the government you vote for,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.
However, Democratic members of Congress accused their Republican counterparts of stifling policies that could be a long term solution to the migrant crisis, such as streamlining access to work permits.
“When we oppose work authorization, we have folks who are opposing the ability for people who are seeking a lawful process to support themselves, who don’t want to be a strain on federal systems,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said.