opinion
New York City launched a $53 million program to provide prepaid debit cards to undocumented immigrants earlier this month.
According to an analysis of the contract by the New York Post, the preliminary number is just that expenses For the pilot program, while the contract allows debit cards to be issued for up to $10,000 to each illegal alien at a cost of $2.5 billion annually.
“One misconception is that the program allows the city to distribute only $50 million to immigrants,” wrote Washington Post columnist Nicole Gelinas.
Gelinas, a financial analyst and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute of Policy, describes the debit card program as “an open-ended Bermuda Triangle with billions of dollars of disappearing, untraceable cash used for any purpose.”
“It will give each immigrant up to $10,000 of taxpayer money without identity verification, and without restrictions or control over fraud,” she wrote.
RELATED: Illegal aliens take $53 million in prepaid debit cards from New York City
Debit Card Program for Undocumented Immigrants – $10,000 each
Although it is not surprising that the government program was more expensive than initially estimated, the contract details appear to have been deceptively presented by New York City Mayor Eric Adams' office.
When initial reports indicated that the debit card program for illegal immigrants would cost $53 million, the public was outraged, but Adams' staff presented it as a way to save money.
“Not only will this provide families the ability to purchase fresh foods for their culturally appropriate diet and baby supplies of their choice, but the pilot is expected to save New York City more than $600,000 per month, or more than $7.2 million annually.” “, Adams spokesperson Kayla Mamilak He said.
The Daily Mail explains that “the $53 million does not represent the total cost,” but rather is merely a fee to the bank for its services.
“City Hall has already given itself the flexibility to distribute at least $2.5 billion to prepaid debit cards over the course of a year.”
The absurdity of the program lies in the details.
RELATED: Shocking video shows illegal immigrants assaulting NYPD officers — released without bail
New York City pledges not to abuse the program
New York City is paying a $53 million fee to implement a program with an “open-ended” contract to distribute at least $2.5 billion in prepaid debit cards to undocumented immigrants over the course of one year.
All to save “$7.2 million annually,” according to the mayor’s office.
This is if the program runs smoothly and there is no fraud. Fortunately, New York City is very serious about eliminating waste and fraud from the program by relying on people who entered the country illegally to essentially swear that they will use debit cards appropriately.
To ensure funds are used properly, recipients must sign an affidavit swearing to use the funds only for food and baby supplies or risk being removed from the program.
In other words, they promise not to take advantage of unenforced rules and laws, even though their entire existence here is an attempt to take advantage of unenforced rules and laws.
Well, at least the city has contracted with an experienced bank to run the program and make sure problems are kept to a minimum.
Oh wait.
“What kind of expertise does MoCaFi (Mobility Capital Finance) bring to this complex endeavor?” Gelinas reports. “no one.”
MoCaFi was awarded a no-bid contract. The financial institution's founder previously claimed that the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 inspired him to serve the “underbanked” and “close the racial wealth gap.”
The details of the debit card program for illegal aliens are much worse than initially reported, and they certainly won't dissuade those who Adams once claimed would “ruin” the city from coming.
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