NYC Announces End of Controversial Debit Card Program for Migrants

On Thursday, November 7th, New York City announced that it would be ending the pilot program that provided prepaid debit cards to migrant families. The Immediate Response Cards (IRC) program, which began earlier this year, offered families staying in city-funded hotels up to $350 per week to purchase essential items such as food and baby supplies.

Mayor Eric Adams’ administration explained that while the program helped reduce food waste and supported local businesses, it would not be renewed after its one-year contract ends in January 2025. A City Hall spokesperson stated, “We were able to reduce food waste, redirect millions of dollars to our local economy, and provide 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.”

The prepaid cards were introduced earlier this year as a way to offer more flexibility for migrant families while also addressing the city’s budget concerns. The program was designed to give migrants the ability to purchase their own food at local stores, avoiding the need for boxed meals that many families didn’t want to eat. City officials noted that the debit card program cost the city half as much as the meal delivery service it replaced.

Since its launch, the program has distributed over $3.2 million in prepaid cards to 2,600 migrant families, allowing them to buy food and baby supplies at local grocery stores, supermarkets, and bodegas. However, the city has chosen to shift back to food delivery services for migrants in the hotel voucher program, aiming to simplify services and better manage costs.

As New York City continues to manage the arrival of over 200,000 migrants since 2022, officials reiterated that their focus remains on cost-saving measures and helping migrants become self-sufficient. “For over two years, we have provided care to more than 222,000 migrants while saving $2 billion in asylum-seeker-related costs,” the spokesperson added, emphasizing that the city’s efforts will evolve to ensure sustainability and better support for those in need.