Floyd Bennett Field Migrant Shelter Lease Renewed
By Katie McFadden
On Saturday, September 14, the lease for the migrant tent shelter at Floyd Bennett Field was set to expire. On Friday, September 13, the City, the State and the National Park Service agreed to extend the lease for another year, until September 14, 2025.
The shelter, located at a tent site in Floyd Bennett Field just over the Marine Parkway Bridge in Brooklyn, houses up to 2,000 migrants. The plan faced strong pushback since it was hinted at in May 2023, resulting in many rallies, including a last-ditch effort on Sunday, September 8, by residents of Brooklyn and Rockaway, to ask for the lease to be terminated. Staten Island and Brooklyn Rep. Nicole Malliotakis also passed legislation in the House to prevent migrant housing on federal lands in November 2023, but the bill was never brought by Senator Charles Schumer to a vote in the Senate. The shelter also faced a legal battle led by Councilwoman Joann Ariola, alongside Brooklyn Assemblywoman Jaime Williams, that ultimately wound up being dismissed in a Kings County court in March. Over the months and as late as September, the House Committee on Natural Resources and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations had been investigating the shelter being put in a National Park area and put pressure on the Biden administration to release information about how the deal was made, but the administration was not forthcoming.
Councilwoman Ariola, who has been at the forefront of the battle against the shelter since it was first announced, broke the news to her constituents about the renewal on Friday afternoon. “The people who live in Rockaway and southern Brooklyn have been extremely clear on this: they do not want a shelter in Floyd Bennett Field,” Councilwoman Ariola said. “As their representative in the Council, I will keep searching for ways to reverse our sanctuary city status and end the migrant crisis. We cannot keep pouring taxpayer dollars into a failed project that endangers New Yorkers and diverts much needed city funds from those who need them most.”
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato, who voted no against $2.4 billion in state funding for the shelter in the state budget and was part of the lawsuit against it said, “It is incredibly disappointing that this occurred upon the request of the Mayor who asked for this lease to be extended. As I have said from the beginning, housing migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, a noted flood zone, is not a solution, but rather an inhumane decision. We need a real solution to this situation – not this type of band-aid fix. While I have offered alternative locations and sued to stop the implementation, I will continue to oppose this on all fronts and demand that the City and Federal government provide a solution that does not overburden our community.”
As Rockaway’s federal representative, The Rockaway Times reached out to Rep. Gregory Meeks’ office for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
“To no one’s surprise, the City of New York and the National Park Service renewed the lease for an illegal immigrant camp in Floyd Bennett Field,” Paul King, the republican candidate in the congressional district 5 race, said. “This decision to renew the illegal lease for a migrant camp at Floyd Bennett Field ignores the needs and objections of citizens from across our community. It demonstrates dramatic disregard by Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks as well as Senator Charles Schumer.”
In the amendment to the lease signed on Friday, a change was noted in the operational budget for the shelter facility. “To support the City’s provision of shelter and services to migrant persons as described in Section 6 of the Lease, the State shall reimburse the City for all necessary expenses up to $383 per bed per night for up to 2,000 beds during the term of the Lease,” it said.
