NYC Spends Millions On Prepaid Debit Cards For Migrants While 25% Of Its Kids Live In Poverty

(NewsSpace.com) – Tens of thousands of migrants have poured into New York City over the past several months, overwhelming resources. They were shipped from Texas as part of Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) Operation Lone Star. City officials were quickly overwhelmed, and the state has been calling on the federal government for assistance. Now, a new program is offering migrant families money while nearly half a million kids live in poverty.

In early February, the New York Post exclusively reported that migrants in the Big Apple were slated to get prepaid credit cards. City records revealed that the $53-million pilot program, the Immediate Response Card initiative, would be run by Mobility Capital Finance, a company in New Jersey. It would initially be offered to 500 families who are staying in hotels for the short term. There’s a caveat: the cards are only available for use at grocery stores, bodegas, convenience stores, and supermarkets. Yet, a family of three could receive up to $932 per month, while US citizens struggle.

The amount allocated would depend on the size of the family, but according to the Post, it could be as much as $15,200 per year for a family of four. Migrants will have to sign an affidavit stating they will only buy groceries and baby supplies, and if they violate this condition, they will be subject to removal from the program.

There’s also potential for the initiative to expand, if it’s successful, to approximately 15,000 migrants. A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, Kayla Mamelak, said the program would save the city “more than $600,000 per month, or more than $7.2 million annually.” Currently, each meal provided to migrants costs the city $11. Yet, many migrants aren’t eating the food provided, which has led to a significant amount of waste—around $39,000 per day of taxpayer-funded money down the drain.

Many are concerned that migrants are receiving better care than the city’s own children, of which 25% live in poverty, according to Fox News Digital, as conditions of the past few years have “made it nearly impossible to make ends meet.”