Mayor Adams defends migrant debit card program amid pushback

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Mayor Eric Adams is doubling down on a pilot program to offer New York City migrants prepaid debit cards, which has faced criticism from people on social media, including rapper 50 Cent. 

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. 

The pilot program will give some 500 migrant families prepaid debit cards to purchase food and baby supplies. The program has since faced pushback, even facing an unlikely critic in rapper 50 Cent. 

But Adams on Tuesday said the policy change is actually small and ultimately could save the city $7.2 million per year – and that 50 Cent changed his tune after talking to the mayor. 

“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. 

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. 

The debit cards would replace the city’s existing program which delivers non-perishable foods to families. 

“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 at a Feb. 5 news conference. “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.”

It’s a program Adams first looked into on the campaign trail, he said. 

“We’ve been looking at this product, MoCaFi, and this concept for close to three years now,” Adams said. “This is not something that just popped up last year.”