Last week, six Democrats aligned with House Republicans to thwart President Joe Biden’s plans of utilizing federal lands as migrant camps for the large influx of illegal aliens released into the United States. The House voted 224-203 in favor of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’s legislation, titled the “Protecting our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act,” effectively preventing the federal government from using federal lands for housing illegal aliens.
The bipartisan support for the legislation included Representatives Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-TX), Mary Peltola (D-AK), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA). The move came in response to concerns raised by Malliotakis regarding the conversion of federal parks, particularly Floyd Bennett Field, into encampments for unvetted migrants.
Malliotakis introduced the legislation as New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) and New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) secured approval from the Biden administration to relocate numerous border crossers and illegal aliens to Floyd Bennett Field. In her statement, Malliotakis expressed the unfair burden on surrounding communities and taxpayers, criticizing the move amid financial challenges faced by the city.
Floyd Bennett Field, a historically significant federally-owned airfield, served the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy during World War II and functioned as New York City’s inaugural municipal airport. The Biden administration, opposing the legislation, argued that it would restrict the powers of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture.
Under President Biden’s administration, an unprecedented number of illegal aliens are being released into American communities on a daily basis. According to estimates from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, over 60,000 illegal aliens are released into the U.S. interior each month, totaling more than 720,000 over a year. The legislation reflects a bipartisan effort to address concerns about the impact of such releases on communities and federal lands.
By: Montana Newsroom staff
