New Jersey Congressman Pillories Proposal To Move Migrants to Atlantic City Airport

The Biden administration has recently suggested potential sites for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to consider for the relocation of migrants, including the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey —  but Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), who represents the district, has made it clear that he won’t stand for this proposal during a recent appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“Hopefully, it won’t happen. We’re going to fight this with every ounce of strength that we have. It is the wrong thing. You know, when we said what was happening at the southern border was going to affect the entire United States of America, this is what happens. I want people to listen out there. This is not just an Arizona problem, or a Texas problem or a California problem. This is a United States of America problem. And now they want to come into our beautiful county, our beautiful South Jersey, and try to ruin that as well,” Van Drew said.

“There’s also a national defense issue here. This is a very, very important issue to understand. We have the FAA technical center there that’s doing very important work, some of which is very significant for the safety of this country and air flight. And we have our F-16s that are there as part of our defense, as well, as part of the Air National Guard, 177 fighter wing. They are the first line of defense for Washington, D.C., and New York City. This is a disaster in the making. I mean, this is the worst administration, I used to say, in my lifetime. Now, this is the worst administration in the history of the United States of America,” the politician continued.

Reports emerged this week that the Biden administration has offered a list of 11 federally-owned sites for the relocation of migrants from New York City. This list includes a tax office in Long Island, N.Y., and several other airports in the New York vicinity, one of which is close to the Canadian border.

Concurrently, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has taken the step of activating 250 National Guard members. Their primary role will be to offer basic services at emergency shelter hotels due to the overwhelming number of migrants, which has strained service providers. Healey’s administration has also introduced Regional Rapid Response Teams to supervise shelter sites. These teams will comprise state employees. This action follows her declaration of a state of emergency earlier this month, prompted by the rising number of migrants coming to Massachusetts from Texas.