Dem Mayor Blows $2.6M on Debit Cards for Illegal Aliens Totaling $2B

(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Another $2.6 million of New York City’s budget has been spent on prepaid debit cards given to illegal immigrants.

The controversial pilot program, started earlier this year by New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, was designed to assist 3,000 illegal immigrants in living in hotels across the city, such as the Roosevelt Hotel. However, the latest round of funding expands the program, distributing prepaid debit cards to over 7,300 migrants over the next six months.

The prepaid debit card program was designed to replace existing food services for illegal immigrants. Though the amount loaded onto the debit cards varies based on income and family size, under the program, a four-person household could receive up to $350 a week, with the cards reloaded every 28 days.

According to New York City Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, the program allows families to “make choices for themselves” by shopping at local businesses.

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy stated the cards are not “free money” because they are “for food and baby supplies only.”

While Adams claims the program is a “cost savings measure,” with city officials claiming the cards have saved the city $598,000 so far this year. They say the program is on track to save the city $4 million this year.

However, critics say the program is “fundamentally unfair” to the working poor of New York City. Earlier this year, a group of Congressional Republicans, including Alabama Rep. Barry Moore, California Rep. Darrell Issa, and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, noted the $350 available each week to illegal immigrants is more than the $291 per month average given in food stamps to elderly, disabled, and low-income American citizens.

Over the last year, over 183,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in New York City. The latest expenditure for the prepaid debit cards brings the total amount of expenses for “asylum seekers” to $2.72 billion in Fiscal Year 2024, up from $1.47 billion in Fiscal Year 2023, according to the Office of the NY State Comptroller (OSC).