Local Republicans see an opening to convince the incoming Trump administration to close the facility down once and for all. And advocates for the migrants living there say they’re particularly vulnerable to immigration crackdowns as residents of the only city shelter situated on federal land.
“We’re concerned about it becoming a site for mass sweeps,” said Ariana Hellerman, who works with the volunteer group Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors that has provided meals, clothing, supplies and suitcases for families.
The organization is calling for the city to find stable homes for families living there in the next 60 days and for the city to close down the shelter, and dismantle the tents, before Donald Trump takes office.
Chandler Miranda, another volunteer with the Floyd Bennett Field Neighbors, said at a hearing last week that she fears Floyd Bennett Field could be used by the incoming administration as an immigration detention center, as Trump is reportedly eyeing housing such centers in the vicinity of so-called sanctuary cities.
“We really would love to see the closure and removal of the infrastructure at Floyd Bennett Field so that it cannot be used as a detention facility by the federal administration,” Miranda said. “It is, to my knowledge, the only shelter that exists on federal land right now and has the infrastructure that is being described as needed for large-scale detention facilities near sanctuary cities.”
Local Republicans who have opposed the migrant shelter since before it opened are also renewing their pushing for its closure under President Trump. The original lease, extended recently through September 2025, contained a provision allowing either the city or the National Parks Service to cancel the lease with a 90-day warning.
Natalie Baldassare, a spokesperson for Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Brooklyn/Staten Island), said she’d already spoken with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) about a plan to cancel the lease once Trump takes office, and intends to discuss it with Trump’s team. Westerman’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Republican Councilmember Joann Ariola, who represents part of the Rockaway Peninsula across Jamaica Bay from Floyd Bennett Field, said she is also optimistic Trump will shut the facility down.
“I think he’s going to be reviewing all of the leases with federal properties to see how they’re being used,” she said, pointing to an increase in shoplifting and panhandling that had disrupted surrounding areas. “These are things that really do impact the quality of life in those communities.”
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, said it is the administration’s intention to close all the large-scale migrant shelters, known as Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, but didn’t say if the city planned to expedite the closure of Floyd Bennett Field.
“We continue to look closely at all of our shelters and will make all determinations based on what’s best for our city and those in our care,” Mamelak said, adding that the city’s efforts, including helping people apply for asylum, had lead to more than 165,000 people moving out of city shelters over the past two years.
“We are seeing real results from our hard work, including the ability to continue consolidating operations,” Mamelak said. “We have closed four New York City emergency shelters this month, all of our upstate emergency shelters will close by December, and our Randall’s Island shelter is set to close in February.”
Less Than IdealWhen the Floyd Bennett shelter opened last fall, the city was struggling to find room for families, amid a historic surge in the number of new arrivals from the southern border. It was the first time since the 1980s that the city sent young children into a group shelter for a prolonged period.
