NYC Set To End Migrant Debit Card Program

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Eric Adams announced his administration plans to end a program that would give prepaid debit cards to migrant families arriving in New York City.

The debit card program will conclude at the end of the year, and the administration has decided not to renew it.

The program provided a family of four with two children up to $350 a week. Officials previously said the program would save the city $7.2 million annually and $600,000 a month.

The debit cards could only be used at groceries, convenience stores and bodegas, according to officials.

"Through the immediate response cards pilot program, we were able to reduce food waste, redirect millions of dollars to our local economy, and provide more culturally relevant food to more than 2,600 migrant families in our care. As we move towards more competitive contracting for asylum seeker programs, we have chosen not to renew the emergency contract for this pilot program once the one-year term concludes," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement to reporters.

The city will transition back to food delivery services for migrants in their care in the hotel voucher program, officials told PIX11.