NYC Mayor Eric Adams says migrants will get $13 a day on prepaid credit card: Here's the breakdown
NEW YORK - NYC Mayor Eric Adams is clearing up reports on how much migrants will actually receive on their "immediate response cards" and how much it will cost the city.
Earlier this month, the city announced its partnership with Mobility Capital Finance to launch a pilot program that would give migrant families a reloadable prepaid credit card to buy food and supplies.
SNAP and WIC, federally funded health and nutrition programs, already use similar prepaid cards -- but there's lots of missing context regarding NYC migrant benefits.
The Post first reported that the program could cost the city more than $53 million.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams joined FOX 5 NY live on the 5 O'Clock News Tuesday to clear up questions about the program.
"First, we want to be really clear: each migrant will get about $13 a day, so it's not automatically $1,000 as it has been reported," Adams told FOX 5 NY.
Amid a massive influx of migrants to the city, many have associated the program with giving untraceable, unlimited, and unregulated accounts to foreigners.
"Lunatic Democrats handing out credit cards to foreigners while Americans are struggling," reads one post on X, formerly Twitter, that had received approximately 7,900 likes and more than 3,800 shares as of Tuesday.
A Facebook post reads: "Want to bet that New York City’s illegal crisis is going to get worse? $53,000,000.00 in free credit cards ensure that it will. New York will fall very soon."
Other reports say the city is giving prepaid debit cards, not credit cards, for designated goods at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores.
What are prepaid cards for migrants?
The program would replace the non-perishable food boxes given to migrant families staying in hotels like the Roosevelt.
The cards will be loaded with about $12.52 per person, every day for 28 days, according to Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
"This is going to be part of our cost-saving measures. We're going to save $600,000 a month, $7.2 million a year," Adams told FOX 5 NY.
New York City has allocated $53 million to the pilot program, which officials say will save $600,000 per month and $7.2 million annually.
The program will start with 500 migrant families with children already living in short-term hotels.
The cards can only be used at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores.
Officials hope that using the cards at area retailers will help stimulate the city's economy.
City officials also said that if the pilot program is a success, they would consider expanding the program to all migrant families staying in hotels.
Nonenthless, officials claim the goal is to cut the cost of the migrant crisis.
"And we are clear…If it's abused, we [will] take those cards away," Adams warned.
The migrant crisis remains a big concern. NYC estimates that the cost of caring for migrants is expected to reach $12 billion over the next three years.
"I think both houses need to look at real, true immigration reform. The Republicans have stymied stopping immigration reform for years. While we deal with the mid and long-term plan, this needs immediate relief for all the cities that are involved," Adams FOX 5 NY.
Mayor Adams noted that he had not spoken to President Biden about the migrant crisis for "quite some time."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.