Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Western Caucus members released the following statements supporting H.R. 5283, the “Protecting Our Communities From Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023.” This legislation, introduced by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), revokes the lease signed by the Biden Administration and New York City housing thousands of migrants in an active community park, on National Park Service land, in Brooklyn, New York. This legislation passed with bipartisan support.

“Over the past three years, the Biden administration has failed to secure the Southern Border and has allowed unfettered illegal immigration at an unprecedented rate. America’s public lands, especially our national parks, should not serve as a backup plan for housing migrants as a consequence of the administration’s failure to secure the border,” said Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04). “As Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I am proud to support Representative Malliotakis’ important legislation to ensure America’s public lands serve the American peoples’ interests and prevent the misuse of our national parks.”

"Turning our federal parks into encampments for unvetted migrants from all over the world is unfair to surrounding communities and the taxpayers who are being forced to foot the bill while our Mayor bankrupts our city and slashes services from our citizens,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11). "This crisis is unsustainable and unsafe and we're using every legal and legislative tool at our disposal, including the bipartisan passage of my legislation today, to stop the Biden, Hochul and Adams Administrations from taking more public spaces and cutting more services that are meant for our citizens. I urge Senator Schumer and the Senate to pass this bill and H.R.2 as swiftly as possible so we can put an end to this crisis once and for all."

“Earlier this year, I led a group of my colleagues to New York City after we heard the alarming news that the Department of Interior had begun housing migrants in the Gateway Recreation Area in Brooklyn. We were shocked to learn this was not only happening without any oversight, but was also being expedited by Biden administration officials in an attempt to cover for his disaster at our southern border,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “Against the wishes of communities and local elected officials, the Biden administration constructed shelters on the limited green space New Yorkers have to enjoy. This sets an incredibly dangerous precedent for this policy to spread to more of America's most cherished natural sites. Rep. Malliotakis’s bill is a crucial step in preventing Biden's border crisis from coming to a national park near you. I would like to thank her for her leadership on this issue and for drafting this important legislation to protect America's best idea and prevent President Biden from placing the burden of his disastrous policies on the National Park Service and American families."