NYC’s Migrant Debit Card Program Could Cost Billions, Not Millions: Report

New York City’s pilot program of giving illegal immigrant families pre-paid debit cards to buy food is under scrutiny, as a new report found that the initiative involves an open-ended contract that could potentially cost the city $2.5 billion each year, far greater than the $53-million-per-year price tag the mayor has promised. Under the program, championed by Mayor Eric Adams, the city will hand out prepaid debit cards to 500 illegal immigrant families with children, giving each participant $12.52 each day. That translates to roughly $350 a month for an individual to spend on food and baby supplies. Camille Joseph Varlack, the mayor’s chief of staff, called the program a “cost saving measure.” Speaking at a Feb. 5 press briefing, she said the city could “save” $600,000 a month, or $7.2 million a year, by eliminating food waste and slashing the manpower previously required to deliver food to hotels where illegal immigrants are staying....