Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has justified a recent initiative that provides prepaid debit cards to migrants, citing potential cost savings for the city.
“Adams spent a large portion of his weekly media availability on Tuesday defending the program, which could grow to cost the city $53 million, saying it will save the city money and eliminate food waste,” reported WPIX New York City.
The initiative is set to offer prepaid debit cards to as many as 500 migrant families, enabling them to buy essential items like food. Although rapper 50 Cent initially voiced disapproval, Eric Adams noted that the rapper’s stance shifted following a conversation between them.
“People want to give the impression that we did this in the cloak of secrecy, that we’re not saving money, that’s just inaccurate,” Adams said.
A pair of illegal aliens, who were released into the US thanks to Joe Biden’s expansive Catch and Release network, have since been charged with operating a debit card scheme in Vernon Parish, Louisiana. https://t.co/lxl3mb7u8r
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 2, 2022
Upon hearing about the program, rapper 50 Cent initially expressed the belief that former President Donald Trump might be the solution, according to Breitbart News.
“The city awarded a $53 million emergency contract to MoCaFi, a financial services platform that has run similar programs in other cities, according to city records and Adams. The program would eventually cost $53 million once fully rolled out, and only about $2 million would go to MoCaFi, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright said,” WPIX New York City noted.
In a news conference, Adams called it a “small policy.”
“I know on the first brush you look at it and say, ‘wait a minute, what are you doing, you’re giving people cards?’” Adams said. “This was a small policy shift that we’re doing on a pilot project with 500 people. If this is successful, we’re going to expand it even more.”
“We’ve been looking at this product, MoCaFi, and this concept for close to three years now,” Adams added. “This is not something that just popped up last year.”
