New York City will give debit cards to migrant families for food and baby supplies.
The first cards will be distributed to families on Monday, sparking fear that the new program could lead to fraud or abuse as well as speculation that the city will be prioritizing migrants over current citizens. As many 180,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the last two years with 65,000 now in shelters.
“A family of four is expected to receive up to $350 per week under the program, which will last six weeks, city officials said. The program will begin with 10 families on Monday, expanding to about 115 families, or roughly 450 people, over the next week,” noted the New York Times.
Democrat Mayor Eric Adams has defended the program, saying it will simultaneously feed migrants at a low cost while fueling money back into the local economy. Cards will be distributed at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, the city’s arrival center, for families staying in hotels under a 28-day voucher program. Cards will be loaded with one week of funds.
Anne Williams-Isom, deputy mayor for health and human services, compared the program to food stamps.
“I do struggle with why people are being so negative when it comes to providing something so basic for families with children,” she said. “It’s not putting groups against each other.”
Joseph Borelli, the City Council’s Republican minority leader, agreed that debit cards may lower the cost of feeding migrants while lamenting that New Yorkers will find the program “unfair.”
“A lot of New Yorkers are going to take this as something that’s fundamentally unfair,” he said. “There are plenty of New Yorkers struggling to pay their bills.”
As Breitbart News reported, a recent Harvard Harris poll showed that immigration has become the biggest concern among voters over the economy.
“Immigration — not inflation or the economy — was cited as the top issue among 36 percent of 2,111 registered voters in the March 20-21 poll from Harvard’s Center for American Political Studies,” said the report. “Thirty-six percent tagged immigration as the top issue, while 33 percent tagged inflation. Twenty-three percent picked the ‘economy and jobs’ category.”
“Demographically, 39 percent of whites, 41 percent of Hispanics, 28 percent of Asians, and 28 percent of people aged 25 to 34 chose immigration,” it added.
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