New York City has started rolling out a $53 million pilot program that provides prepaid debit cards to illegal migrants. According to Fox News‚ city officials reportedly handed out the first batch of debit cards on Monday to a handful of migrants who recently arrived in the Big Apple. The mayor’s office confirmed the program will provide migrant families of four with two children under 5 up to $350 each week until the end of their stay. The program will reportedly expand to about 115 families next week. PIX 11 reports: New York City will move forward with a plan to give migrant families debit cards loaded with cash to buy food and baby supplies. The pilot program‚ which drew criticism before even being rolled out‚ will put cards in the hands of migrant families beginning Monday‚ PIX11 News has learned. Using a company called MoCaFi‚ the city will initially hand out cards to 115 families staying in hotels by next week. Approximately 460 migrants‚ including many children‚ will be fed by the city in this manner. WATCH: NYC is about to start handing out $1400 dollar prepaid debit cards to ILLEGALS for food and baby items. Hey NY taxpayers who work two jobs‚ how much in prepaid debit cards are you getting? pic.twitter.com/IVm9XmGjW6 — Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) March 26‚ 2024 NYC begins handing out prepaid debit cards to migrants in controversial program https://t.co/rIHvNNOV0l pic.twitter.com/eEW2PgyuFx — New York Post (@nypost) March 26‚ 2024 Per Fox News: The prepaid cards may only be used at bodegas‚ grocery stores‚ supermarkets and convenience stores. Migrants eligible for the program must sign an affidavit stating they will only spend the funds on food and baby supplies‚ or else they could lose access to the funds‚ Adams’ office said. Additionally‚ the mayor’s office confirmed that the pilot program was launched using a phased approach‚ starting with only a few hotels. City officials have noted that the cards will be loaded with one week’s worth of funds at a time and that their use would be monitored. The cards are reportedly being distributed at the city’s arrival center‚ the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan‚ to the migrant families who are staying at hotels that are being used as emergency shelters. New Jersey company Mobility Capital Finance has partnered with the city to run the program. In a statement to Fox News Digital‚ a city hall spokesperson noted that New York City was “excited” about launching the effort‚ describing it as a “cost-saving measure [that] will replace the city’s current system of providing non-perishable food boxes to migrant families staying in hotels‚ much of which is often discarded.”