Floyd Bennett Field Migrant Shelter Among Closures Due To Declining Migrant Census In NYC Announced By Mayor Adams

Malliotakis Statement on Early Closure of Floyd Bennett Field Migrant Shelter

Editor’s note: The Mayor said the following in his announcement, which will be featured in our rundown on Friday: 

“New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that — thanks to the administration’s successful asylum seeker management strategies that have continued to drive down the number of people in the city’s care and reduce costs — 25 shelters, including the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at Floyd Bennett Field are slated to close in the coming two months. Thanks to the administration’s successful advocacy for executive orders at the border by the Biden-Harris administration, which have significantly reduced the rate at which asylum seekers are arriving in New York City and seeking care, and the administration’s successful asylum seeker management strategies — including reticketing, case management, and 30- and 60-day notices — the number of asylum seekers in city shelters has decreased for 22 straight weeks and is now at its lowest point in over 17 months. New York state, which was paying the costs of sheltering migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, will continue to reimburse New York City for costs for equivalent care incurred at other sites across the city. Earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced that the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center at Randall’s Island will close on February 28.”

We’ve also covered other issues related to the migrant crisis, including the planned use of United Methodist Church on Staten Island as a potential migrant shelter. We also covered some of the protests to permanently close Floyd Bennett Field.  

(BROOKLYN, NY) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis released the following statement after receiving notification that New York City will be terminating the lease for the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter on March 10, 2025, six months ahead of schedule. Migrants will be moved out of the facility by January 15, 2025.

“Today’s announcement that the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter will close next month, days before President Trump is sworn in, shows the impact his agenda is already having on our country’s migrant crisis. While we kept the pressure up by rallying, protesting, passing legislation and filing bipartisan lawsuits to terminate the lease, the reelection of President Trump was the final nail in the coffin to secure this closure, restore order in our community and put American citizens first. As I’ve said from the beginning, turning our federal parks into encampments for unvetted migrants from all over the world is unfair to the surrounding community and taxpayers who have been forced to foot the bill for this madness to the tune of $12 billion. It is my hope that the City will continue to close the remaining shelters down and work with the Trump Administration to reverse the failed immigration and sanctuary policies that are putting our public safety at risk.”

In September 2023, Malliotakis hosted members of the House Committee on Natural Resources on a tour of migrant shelters across New York City, including the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. Since then, the Committee held two hearings on Malliotakis’ legislation which passed the House with bipartisan support on November 30, 2023.

Malliotakis is a cosponsor of H.R.2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023, legislation that would require DHS to resume construction of the southern border wall, increase the number of Border Patrol agents, reform the asylum process and mandate the use of E-Verify, and prohibit the release of illegal immigrants apprehended at the southern border into the United States. She has also introduced legislation to prevent migrant housing on Military Bases, including Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton Army Base.

Banner Image: Floyd Bennett Field visitor center. Image Credit – National Park Service

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.