Following President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping victory, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to discontinue the city’s program providing food vouchers to undocumented immigrants.
The pilot program, initiated under the Biden-Harris administration to aid asylum seekers, has been in place for one year and allowed immigrants staying in city shelters to receive debit cards to purchase food.
The Immediate Response Cards program, as it was formally known, aimed to support migrant families arriving in New York City who lacked the resources to afford food.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸NYC Mayor Eric Adams announces the city will no longer issue vouchers to illegal immigrantspic.twitter.com/c0D1UqCOni
— Resist Times (@resistupdates) November 8, 2024
Under the program, participating families received weekly debit cards valued at $350 to help cover food expenses.
ABC 7, New York’s affiliate, reported that the program was designed with an emphasis on providing “culturally relevant food” to meet the specific needs of migrant families, addressing complaints that food served in shelters was not aligned with their dietary and cultural preferences.
The program served approximately 2,600 migrant families over the past year and was part of a broader city effort to support the growing number of immigrants arriving in New York.
However, Adams now plans to end the program, which will be phased out as the city’s one-year contract with vendors concludes. The decision aligns with Adams’ recent discussions about the strain that the influx of migrants has placed on New York City’s resources and infrastructure.
In response to the decision, ABC 7 criticized the program’s discontinuation, calling it “anti-humanitarian” and emphasizing that the pilot program was a response to the immediate needs of immigrant families seeking refuge in New York.
“The so-called Immediate Response Cards pilot program was designed to feed migrant families who found themselves in New York with no way to afford food,” ABC reported, highlighting the program’s humanitarian approach and its focus on culturally sensitive aid.
New York City has experienced a significant surge in the number of undocumented immigrants, with over 200,000 arriving since the pilot program’s initiation.
This influx has stretched the city’s shelter system and municipal services, requiring extensive budgeting to meet food, housing, and healthcare needs.
Before the food voucher program, city shelters provided basic food options for shelter residents, but some criticized this approach, pointing to a lack of consideration for cultural and dietary needs among the immigrant population.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, over 2 million immigrants have entered the United States each year since 2021, creating unprecedented demand on resources in sanctuary cities like New York.
By comparison, in Trump’s final year in office, approximately 480,000 individuals were estimated to have crossed the border illegally.
Trump has stated that mass deportations will be a priority once he assumes office in January, marking a significant shift in immigration policy.
Adams’ decision to end the food voucher program also follows his congratulatory call with President-elect Trump on Wednesday.
While Adams did not disclose details of the conversation, it signals a potential shift in his approach to the immigration issue.
Adams’ actions may reflect New York City’s need to reassess its support systems in light of the expected changes in federal immigration policy under the incoming administration.
The decision to end the food voucher program underscores the broader challenges facing urban centers like New York in balancing humanitarian obligations with resource constraints.
As New York navigates this transitional period, Adams’ administration will likely continue to evaluate other city-funded programs for immigrants amid federal changes.