Republicans have proposed a bill that the Biden administration strongly opposes, which would ban the use of federal funds to provide temporary shelter to undocumented immigrants on federal lands. The proposed bill would dictate that federal funds could not be used to shelter noncitizens, including migrants seeking asylum, on lands within the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.
In a statement of administration policy, the White House expressed its opposition to the bill, citing concerns about the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture losing their ability to make decisions about the use of their lands, even in emergency situations.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., would also revoke a lease between the federal government and New York City for portions of Floyd Bennett Field in Southeast Brooklyn. However, in September, Mayor Eric Adams announced that an agreement had been reached to house migrants at the location. The federal government and the city believe this will help some of the more than 113,000 asylum-seekers who have sought shelter in New York since the spring of 2022.
Earlier this month, there were concerns that New York City was not adequately managing the influx of migrants, with reports that the city has “no exit strategy” to ensure migrants can advance out of the shelter system.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
