New York City is launching a program that will give $53 million in pre-paid credit cards to illegal immigrants living in hotels in the city.
The cards, which allegedly can only be used at grocery stores, convenience stores and bodegas, will also require migrants to sign an affidavit promising they will only use them to buy necessary supplies.
The program will give a migrant family of four an average of $35 per day, totaling nearly $1000 per month.
Mayor Eric Adams is reportedly rolling out the program for the roughly 500 migrant families living at the Roosevelt Hotel as a pilot run.
If successful, the city will expand it to the 15,000 migrant families living in New York City hotels.
“MoCaFi looks forward to partnering with New York City to disburse funds for asylum seekers to purchase fresh, hot food,” said Wole Coaxum, CEO of Mobility Capital Finance, the company behind the program. “MoCaFi’s goal is to expand access to financial resources for individuals excluded from banking, such as asylum seekers, while helping the local economy.”
A spokesperson for Adams claimed the program would “save New York City” more than half a million dollars per month.
“Not only will this provide families with the ability to purchase fresh food for their culturally relevant diets and the baby supplies of their choosing, but the pilot program is expected to save New York City more than $600,000 per month, or more than $7.2 million annually.”
