Immigrants in New York City will receive more food funds than some low-income New Yorkers through a new pilot program announced by Mayor Eric Adams. This program will provide prepaid debit cards to 500 immigrant families with children, granting $12.52 per person per day, a total of approximately $350 per month, for the purchase of food and baby items.
This amount exceeds the maximum allocation received by low-income city residents through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Although the cards have similar restrictions to SNAP, they can only be used at establishments such as bodegas, supermarkets, and convenience stores, thus ensuring that the funds are used appropriately. The program, which is considered a cost-saving measure for the city, is designed to save $600,000 per month. Participating families must agree to use the cards exclusively for food and baby items, at risk of being excluded from the program if they violate the terms.
"We need to dispel the rumor that we gave American Express cards to everyone," Adams said during a press conference Monday. "This is simply not true," he added. Adams called the plan "brilliant," arguing that it was a "cheaper and more efficient way" to get resources to migrants because it would eliminate delivery costs associated with providing food to asylum seekers and reduce food waste in situations where food aid recipients do not like the meals provided and put money back into the local economy.
"We are obligated to provide food and supplies for immigrant babies, the only difference here is that we are asking them to buy it themselves rather than having it delivered to their door," a spokesperson for Adam's office told Newsweek.
New York City has been facing challenges in handling the massive influx of immigrants over the past year. According to the city's Department of Social Services, more than 156,600 immigrants arrived in New York between spring 2022 and December 2023. Mayor Adams has expressed concern that this immigration crisis could jeopardize the city's stability, describing New York as on the verge of a "tipping point."
However, Adams has come under fire for his decisions around housing immigrants in hotels and relocating them before a winter storm. The city's latest proposal, which is estimated to save $7.2 million a year, has generated additional controversy. Even rapper 50 Cent weighed in on the matter on Instagram, expressing confusion over the plan. Adams responded via a press conference, inviting 50 Cent to discuss the issue and suggesting he might change his mind about his administration if he understood the situation better.