Lease of NYC tent shelter housing illegal aliens could be renewed — and local residents aren't happy

Dozens of New York City residents, led by a 30-vehicle caravan, rallied together on Sunday to protest the massive tent city shelter at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Field as the city's lease agreement with the federal government nears its end.

The locals, including elected officials and veterans, urged the city not to renew its lease and instead shut down the 2,000-bed makeshift accommodations housing some of the more than 214,000 illegal immigrants who have relocated to New York City over the past two years.

'They have complete immunity.'

The city's lease with the National Park Service is set to expire on September 14. The current lease does not indicate an automatic right to renewal or extension.

Assemblywoman Jaime Williams (R-Brooklyn) told the New York Post, "We have these migrants coming in, door knocking, stealing packages, you know, soliciting everywhere in front of our supermarkets, playing at the heartstrings of people."

"And this is not what our community is about," Williams continued. "Floyd Bennett field is not a place to house migrants. It's a flood zone [with] no infrastructure whatsoever. So when you have them in that type of setting, there is nothing left to do. They're going to be on the street because they don't have any jobs."

Antonia Natal, a longtime resident, stated, "I don't mind if they come in the legal way."

"That's what our country's about. That's what our country is built on, many migrants — legal. And I'm supportive of that," Natal added. "I feel we need to do that with the whole city — no illegals, no shelters."

Natal expressed concern that the influx of illegal immigrants in New York City would "damage" the local economy and housing market.

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who has led a number of protests against the city's shelters, said Sunday that illegal immigrants are flooding into the area "every day," the Post reported.

"They're still checking in at the [city intake center at] the Roosevelt Hotel. And they have complete immunity. You arrest an illegal alien, they get cut loose," he stated.

A spokesperson for City Hall told the news outlet, "With over 210 emergency sites currently operating and hundreds of new arrivals continuing to arrive in New York City every week, we have been out of good options for a while now."

"The site at Floyd Bennett Field has been one tool in our very limited toolbox for sheltering hundreds of migrant families with children every night. We continue to advocate for additional support from the federal partners and ask our elected partners to join us," the spokesperson remarked.

More than 100 residents held a similar protest in June, demanding the city revoke the lease, Blaze News previously reported. One local who attended the rally fumed that the illegal immigrants were "being prioritized over New Yorkers."

In August, the House Committee on Natural Resources subpoenaed the Biden-Harris administration's Department of Homeland Security, claiming that the federal government failed to produce requested information about the Floyd Bennett Field shelter. Lawmakers sought reports on how the site was selected and the vetting process for the tenants following "widespread reports of criminality," including "domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams."

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