
Floyd Bennett Field migrants face relief and worry about their futures
AS THE MIGRANT SHELTER AT FLOYD BENNETT FIELD in southeastern Brooklyn is scheduled to close Jan. 15, many of the people housed
FLOYD BENNETT FIELD — It was unprecedented, but it was considered an emergency. The placement of a migrant tent encampment on leased national parkland here nearly 18 months ago brought opposition immediately from community leaders.
On Jan. 15, standing on the frigid windswept tarmac of the former airfield, opponents of the migrant encampment held a press conference to celebrate closure of the encampment. They also expressed gratitude to those who fought for return to the community of the unique recreation area that is now part of Floyd Bennett Field.
“We’re here today as fellow people from Marine Park, Rockaway, Gerritsen Beach and all the communities from Brooklyn,” organizer of the event and Chair of the Coalition for Better Communities Ron Canterino said.
Canterino addressed accusations against the group, who were labeled as “outside agitators” by those who supported Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to house migrants on federally protected lands, a part of the Jamaica Bay unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
“We’re people who live in the community. We’ve seen firsthand what this has done to the communities,” he said, referring to neighborhood complaints about people from the tents knocking on doors, panhandling and creating detrimental conditions impacting quality of life.
Canterino was joined by Assemblymember Jaime Williams (D-59) who has spearheaded the opposition, along with Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-32), U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-23). They were among a bipartisan group of 39 elected officials, civic leaders and residents in the fall of 2023 to file a lawsuit against the City and State in an attempt to halt the building of the migrant tent encampment.
The lawsuit was dismissed the following March by Judge Peter Paul Sweeney and the lease was renewed in September 2024, despite numerous rallies, meetings, testimonials in Congressional hearings, letter writing campaigns and protests to dismantle the sprawling complex, which housed nearly 2,000 migrants or 500 families.
At the same time, the group also advocated for legal immigration and better immigration policies to protect not only the communities that had been negatively impacted by an uptick in crimes and other quality of life issues from the onset, but also the migrants who faced many challenges and inhumane living conditions living in tents located in a desolate area of a national park on a known flood zone.
“We are here today as a community who has stood together from day one, and today, we are very happy to see that Floyd Bennett Field is going to be back to its original purpose for our community and for all who love our national park,” Williams said.
“We believe this facility is closing because President-elect Donald Trump is going to deport all of the illegal immigrants that are here anyway,” Canterino said of the incoming Trump administration beginning on Monday.
He added, “The question now is what will happen to the migrants as many have been placed in the general population shelter system and migrant hotels, have moved onto the next stage of their journeys or have unknown whereabouts.”
“The next fight will be a migrant shelter in my district, which is a Sleep Inn hotel on East 18th St. in the Sheepshead Bay area,” Assemblymember Michael Novakhov (R-45) said. Novakhov said he had no idea it was there because city officials told him he didn’t have any in his district; yet he received a lot of complaints from residents. “It was a lie and we discovered another one in our district.”
Other speakers included Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association President Elizabeth Morrissey; Chief of Staff to Councilmember Ariola Phyllis Inserillo; City Council candidate for District 46 Dimple Willabus; Local Community Patrol organizer Lina Chan; Coalition for Better Communities Co-Chair Brenda Lee; and Robert Francis. Williams and Canterino gave special acknowledgement to Curtis Sliwa who could not be there.
Morrissey said that people are more than welcome to come into the country, but legally; and most importantly, they want their community safe for everyone.
“We are looking forward to a better immigration system so that people who would like to come to our country for the American dream can do that legally,” Inserillo said in agreement. “We look forward to working with the Trump administration to make sure that happens.”
AS THE MIGRANT SHELTER AT FLOYD BENNETT FIELD in southeastern Brooklyn is scheduled to close Jan. 15, many of the people housed
NYC is shrinking the huge emergency shelter system it created to house tens of thousands of migrants as the number of new arrivals drops.
FLOYD BENNETT FIELD – A rainy and foggy morning served as the backdrop for a bipartisan group of elected officials — which included Rep. Nicole
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