New York City launch $53 million migrant food program

New York City will soon launch a $53 million pilot program to distribute prepaid credit cards to immigrant families living in hotels, according to reports.

of new york postCiting city records, it reported that 500 immigrant families at the Roosevelt Hotel will be given prepaid cards to help them buy food. The program is intended to replace the current meal service provided there, the Post reported.

“Not only will this help families purchase fresh produce for a culturally appropriate diet and their favorite baby products, but this pilot program will also save New York City more than $600,000 per month and $720 per year. We expect to save more than $10,000,” a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams told the newspaper in a statement.

City Hall did not respond to requests for comment.

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Prepaid cards can only be used at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Immigrants eligible for the program must sign an affidavit stating they will only use the funds for food and baby supplies, or they will no longer have access to the funds, according to the report.

The amount available to each immigrant family will depend on their size and the income they receive, according to contracts reviewed by the newspaper. A family of four could receive nearly $1,000 a month, or $35 a day, in food, the Post reported. The card will be replenished every 28 days.

New Jersey’s Corporate Mobility Capital Finance is administering the program in partnership with the city.

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Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, which has been converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived immigrant families, on September 27, 2023 in New York City, USA. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“MoCaFi is looking forward to partnering with New York City to provide funding for asylum seekers to purchase fresh, hot food,” Wole Coaxam, CEO and founder of MoCaFi, told the Post. . “MoCaFi’s goal is to expand access to financial resources for individuals excluded from banking, such as asylum seekers, while supporting local economies.”

City officials said if the pilot program is successful with the first 500 immigrant families, they plan to expand it to all immigrant families staying in hotels, which currently number 15,000.

More than 150,000 immigrants have arrived in New York City since 2022, and authorities are struggling to find housing for them, straining the city’s resources. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is moving asylum seekers to New York City to help move asylum seekers to sanctuary jurisdictions and to highlight the crisis border communities face on a daily basis. and other cities by bus.

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Immigrants line up outside the Roosevelt Hotel, which New York City is using as temporary housing, on Monday, July 31, 2023. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Mayor Adams denounced the influx of migrants as a humanitarian crisis and said it would cost the city about $12 billion over three years to feed and house migrants.

The mayor traveled to Latin America in October on a tour to deter potential migrants from Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador from coming to the city, and said the city was “at capacity.”

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But critics say New York City’s shelter policies and immigration benefits only encourage more immigration.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, a Tennessee Republican and former WWE wrestler, said, “If I’m promoting an event and I want to draw as many people as possible without worrying about losing money, I’ll offer free admission.” , we’ll be giving everyone free pizza and beer.” He was posted on X and commented on the New York Post report. “That’s what immigration policy is like now.”