Floyd Bennett Bedlam

By Katie McFadden

On Friday, May 12, word spread as folks in Rockaway caught wind of a letter Governor Kathy Hochul penned to President Joe Biden, specifically requesting permission to utilize Floyd Bennett Field, across the Marine Parkway Bridge in Brooklyn, as a place to house migrants as the country, and New York City feels the effects of Title 42 being lifted last week.

In her letter, Hochul said, “In anticipation of several thousand asylum seekers arriving in New York City every week, I am submitting this request for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to direct the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Park Service (NPS) to provide New York State assistance through the immediate construction and operation of temporary shelters on federal lands and property to house individuals seeking political asylum. The use of a portion of Floyd Bennett Field within the Gateway National Recreation Area and other spaces on military installations, including naval resources, in and across the Northeast is necessary to utilize all available space to maintain critical and essential public services, specifically sheltering and housing.”

The letter came a day after Mayor Eric Adams had mentioned federal Floyd Bennett Field as a potential location to use, while he also considers as many as 20 school gymnasiums around the city as a place to house the nearly 65,000 migrants that have arrived in NYC over the past year, and the anticipated 100,000 to arrive after Title 42 was lifted and the southern border was inundated by folks claim- ing to seek asylum. As New York State and City are self-designated as “sanctuaries” for asylum seekers, migrants have flocked to the area over the past year. Reports hit NY newspapers this week that the city is already spending $8 million a day on the migrants that have arrived in the city. To put things in perspective, according to Councilwoman Joann Ariola, the city’s Department of Veterans Services only receives about $5 million a year in the fiscal year budget. “Our city is going to go bankrupt,” Ariola said at Tuesday’s Belle Harbor Property Owners Association (BHPOA) meeting.

Immediately after word spread about Hochul’s letter, Ariola released a statement saying, “Opening additional migrant shelters within the five boroughs – even if they are placed on federal land using federal resources – will undoubtedly add to the strain that our city is already experiencing as a result of this wave of newcomers. Unless the governor intends for the federal government to also build a completely new, federally funded transportation network in the area, as well as federal schools and medical facilities, then this is something that will add undue burden to an already struggling system. Our schools and hospitals are already stressed to the breaking point as it is, and placing thousands of newcomers into the area will exacerbate this problem.”

She went on to cite Floyd Bennett Field’s lack of resources such as transportation as reasons for why it’s a bad location. “As concerned citizens, we must demand thoughtful and comprehensive solutions to the challenges posed by migration - solutions that prioritize the well-being of both American citizens and those seeking a better life within our borders. Placing additional newcomers in this portion of Brooklyn is not the solution we need. Not by any means. Instead, we should press for a

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