Staten Island BP
  • Home
  • BP Office
  • News
  • Community Events
  • Social
  • Contact
  • Home
  • BP Office
  • News
  • Community Events
  • Social
  • Contact

NEWS

Legislation Introduced To Ban Use Of Fort Wadsworth As Migrant Shelter

8/23/2023

 
Picture
​Borough President Vito Fossella joined Rep. Nicole Malliotakis as she announced plans to introduce legislation to ban migrant housing on the historic grounds of Fort Wadsworth at a press conference on Wednesday.
 
He recalled recently standing in the same spot last year to call on Staten Islanders to donate goods to a pantry operated by the Blue Star Families at Fort Wadsworth “so that active military personnel could take care of their own children.”
 
“And, yet the federal government has no problem saying we’re thinking about putting these folks up here for free, feeding them for free, giving them a free education, free accommodations, free healthcare, free phones and free debit cards,” Borough President Fossella said. “How is that logical, how is that right and how is that consistent with the American way?”
 
Borough President Fossella said the idea of housing migrants at Fort Wadsworth was like a scenario proposed three decades ago.
 
“Thirty years ago, when this facility was transferred from the Department of Defense to the National Park Service, the city tried to carve out about a third of it for homeless facilities and they were overruled," he said. "So, this is not the first attempt to house asylum seekers or the homeless here at Fort Wadsworth. If you want to put folks who may have come here illegally and may be sent back, put them on Ellis Island. I don’t hear anyone talking about opening Ellis Island for tents. How about Governor’s Island? No, instead we're going to put them right here on Staten Island, near the people who built this community. I grew up right outside of Fort Wadsworth. My family has been here since 1947. We were taught to respect what was behind this fence. Now, how can we with this proposal?"

Comments are closed.

    Search

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022

    Media Inquiries

    Please contact the Department of Communications:

    ​
    Nicholas Thompson: [email protected]
    718-816- 2115

    Stephanie Slepian:
    [email protected]
    ​718-816-2136





    borough board
Office of Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella  •  10 Richmond Terrace  •  Staten Island, NY 10301  •  718-816-2000
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT