New York City Mayor Defends "Cash For Migrants" Program

New York City Mayor Eric Adams defends his cash for migrants program.

“We’re saving approximately $600,000/month.

$7.2 million/year, by giving individuals a card that allows them to buy food or baby supplies … This is a real win-win for us, & the money will go into the local economy”

The city is launching a new pilot program that will hand out pre-paid debit cards to 500 migrant families with children, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday. The program allots about $12.52 per card each day, giving each recipient roughly $350 a month to spend on food and baby supplies—a figure more than the maximum allotment that low-income New Yorkers receive in SNAP benefits.

Like SNAP, the new cards being distributed to migrant families also have restrictions. Use is limited exclusively to local bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores to ensure that city funds are going to food and baby supplies.

The mayor's office has stressed that the cards will act similarly to SNAP benefits and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards and that the program is a "cost saving measure" that will save the city $600,000 a month.