New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the use of the prepaid cards during an in-person media availability in Albany on March 26.
New York City officials on Monday started handing out pre-paid debit cards to illegal immigrants as part of a $53 million pilot program that has drawn criticism over whether the prospect of âfree moneyâ is incentivizing more unlawful border crossings.
City Hall said that the pre-paid cards can only be used at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores and recipients will have to sign a pledge promising to use the cards only to buy food and baby supplies.
Mixed Messages?
New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the use of the prepaid cards during an in-person media availability in Albany on March 26.
Mr. Adams was asked by a reporter whether the prepaid cards provide potential migrants an appealing reason to come to the United States and so whether the program sends a mixed message, given the mayorâs stated attempts to dissuade illegal immigrants from coming to New York City.
âNo, it sends a mixed message when itâs distorted,â the mayor replied. He said he gave his team a clear directive to bring down costs related to the provision of services to illegal immigrants in the Big Apple by 30 percentâand that the cards are part of that initiative.
Mr. Adams called the cards a âcost-effectiveâ win-win that saves taxpayers over $600,000 per month, or $7.2 million per year.
âWeâre going to do away with food waste and weâre going to put money back into the local economy,â he said.
Mr. Adams argued that criticism isnât a good enough reason not to press ahead with the program.
âIf we didnât do things because poeple are going to critique us, we wouldnât have gotten thousands of people off our streets that are homeless, we would not have removed our encampments, we would not have taken thousands of guns off the street,â he said. âWeâve got to do it right.â
He was then asked a follow-up question about the problem of word getting back to the border or further south that basically âfree moneyâ is being made available to families and therefore incentivizing more illegal immigration.
Mr. Adams said itâs unavoidable that information will get back to friends and family in South American countries that even rudimentary conditions in New York shelters are better than the dire conditions some people are fleeing.
âThatâs going to go back,â he said, adding that, âwe have to find the right combinationâdelivery of services, with the same level of dignity, and do it in a way thatâs cost effective.â
âAnd Iâm not hearing from my colleagues down in Ecuador or Columbia or Mexico that everybody is running to New York because theyâre going to get a food card,â he added. âIâm not hearing that.â
Febien Levy, the deputy mayor for communications at Mr. Adamsâ office, added that thereâs an effort underway to inform people at the border by handing out flyers that there are no unlimited free services for people once they cross into the United States.
âThereâs no free money. These are not ATM cards, you canât take cash out. If anyone has that idea, theyâre wrong,â Mr. Levy said. âThis is for food and baby supplies only.â

New York City Councilman Joe Borelli criticized the program, telling Fox 5 NY when the program was first announced that providing illegal immigrants with services on the taxpayer dime sends the wrong message.
Mr. Adams has pushed back on this message, arguing that the program would save New York around $7 million per year compared to New York officials physically handing out food to illegal immigrants, where logistics and waste would add to the cost.

The mayor insisted at the briefing that the assistance is justified to alleviate a âhumanitarian crisisâ that has gripped the city as around 180,000 asylum-seekers have come since last spring.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
Running For Office? Conservative Campaign Consulting – Election Day Strategies!