Rep. Malliotakis Joins Hearing On Floyd Bennett Field Migrant Contract With US Committee On Natural Resources
Stands with Speaker in Support of Efforts to Cut Wasteful Spending, Secure the Southern Border
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today joined the House Committee on Natural Resources in conducting oversight of the migrant crisis and the Biden Administration’s use of national park land to house migrants, including Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
Earlier this 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. The tour was a follow up to legislation Malliotakis introduced to prevent migrant housing on military bases or federal park land, including Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton and Staten Island’s Fort Wadsworth, something the House Natural Resources Committee intends to advance.
Witnesses at today’s hearing included the U.S. Park Police, New York City Council Member Joann Ariola (R-District 32), and New York State Assemblymember Jaime Williams (D-District 59), who are leading a lawsuit with Malliotakis to prevent migrants from being housed at Floyd Bennett Field or any other park in the Gateway National Recreation Area, which includes all of Staten Island’s parks.
Congresswoman Malliotakis with New York State Assemblymember Jaime Williams and New York City Councilwoman Joann Ariola following today’s oversight hearing. Image Credit – Rep. Malliotakis
Officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service failed to show. “It’s disappointing that the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service refused to come here and answer questions,” Malliotakis said.
“Right after a group of Congressional Democrats left the Roosevelt Hotel, a migrant stabbed another migrant staying in that facility. There are dozens of arrests that have taken place at that hotel already for assault.
On Staten Island, we saw unlicensed drivers without plates slamming into vehicles, totaling people’s cars in the community. In Brooklyn, there was a DUI bust of a migrant that led to an NYPD Sergeant’s finger being bitten off. One Venezuelan migrant had 14 crimes in two months – that’s pretty much a record for New York…what does the City, State and federal government think is going to happen in our national parks and the communities surrounding them if thousands of migrants are placed there with little to no supervision?”
In response to Malliotakis’ question on public safety, Chairman Kenneth Spencer of the U.S. Park Police Fraternal Order of Police said: “Is our agency concerned with the migrant situation that’s proposed for Floyd Bennett Field? Yes they are. We don’t have the staffing or the resources to handle 2,000 migrants put into a tent on our property right now…It’s certainly going to make our law enforcement duties much more difficult.”
Additionally, Malliotakis joined House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and several Republican colleagues in a press conference last night demanding President Biden and Congress take action to fund the government and secure the southern border.
“This morning our city put out an advisory that the people of the City of New York should carry around Narcan with them,” Malliotakis said. “That’s how bad the fentanyl crisis has gotten…recommending the citizens of New York walk around with Narcan. We had a one-year-old baby die last week at a day care center where there was a drug ring in the basement of that facility. Between the bail law of New York that allows drug traffickers and drug dealers back onto our streets and the open border, this is the crisis that we’re seeing – unprecedented.”
Banner Image: Rep. Nicole Malliotakis at press conferenc. Image Credit – Rep. Malliotakis
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was sworn in on January 3, 2021 to represent Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn. Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, defeating a two-term incumbent. In the Assembly, she served as Minority Whip and the ranking minority member of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees. For five terms, Congresswoman Malliotakis fought to restore ethics in Albany, expand transit service in her district, improve programs for senior citizens, reform education and improve New York’s economic climate by reducing the tax burden on small businesses and residents. A cornerstone of her tenure was helping her community recover and rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In addition to advocating for these same issues in Washington, Congresswoman Malliotakis is acutely focused on securing New York’s fair share of federal mass transit funding, which would go towards expanding transportation services and easing traffic congestion, while also championing public safety by supporting our nation’s law enforcement officers. Congresswoman Malliotakis is the daughter of immigrants, her father from Greece and her mother a Cuban exile of the Castro dictatorship. She is currently the only Republican member representing New York City in Congress, representing a district spanning the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. She is a passionate advocate for animal rights and the strengthening of animal cruelty laws, and in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her chihuahua, Peanut.
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