Exclusive | Biden admin allowed Floyd Bennett Field migrant camp to become dumping ground, fire hazard: emails

WSHINGTON — A giant Brooklyn migrant encampment deteriorated into a “dumping ground” and fire hazard — as Biden administration officials ignored pleas by state lawmakers and local officials to fix the problem, emails reviewed by The Post show.Roughly 2,000 migrants were housed at Floyd Bennett Field between November 2023 and January 2025, when then-Mayor Eric Adams finally shut down what had become a shantytown inside a national historic site.National Park Service employees were well aware of the safety issues, but told higher-ups the encampment was “clean and well-run,” according to emails first obtained by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA).“[W]e have always maintained that this situation is not optimal,” FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Dean Koester wrote in a July 15, 2024, email to NPS official Minka Sendich.“In fact, we reported that the nearest operable fire hydrant is 2500 – 3000 feet” from the shelter, Koester added, “and we estimate it will take about 30 minutes to establish a positive water source” in the event of a fire.The hydrants also hadn’t received routine maintenance since the airfield was folded into the Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972, and no sprinklers were on site.The “maze-like” condition of the sleeping arrangements inside the site’s five large tents also would have made it difficult for migrants to evacuate during an emergency, according to Koester.“The lack of fire protection and dearth of nearby hydrants place shelter residents in a perilous situation,” he warned.“Biden open border policies wreaked havoc on working-class families across the country, particularly in cities with large minority populations,” said James Fitzpatrick of the Center to Advance Security in America.“Through aggressive public oversight, CASA obtained documents showing that Biden National Park Service officials kept thousands of illegal aliens crammed into Floyd Bennett Field despite knowing it was unsafe a...