A family of migrants with two children under the age of 17 could be given up to $15,200-a-year under New York City mayor Eric Adams' $53million debit card scheme.
The Immediate Response Card initiative will see the city partner with the New Jersey bank Mobility Capital Finance to give prepaid cards to new arrivals to allow them to buy food and baby supplies instead of the current food services in shelters.
Under the scheme, a single migrant could be given $345 a month, while a family of eight could be given $2,203 a month, according to a new cost breakdown seen by The New York Post.
Likewise, a family of three could receive $932 per month and a family of four could be given $1,195 per month to spend on food at local grocery stores, supermarkets and bodegas.
A start date for the scheme has not been set but the pilot will include 500 families at the Roosevelt Hotel and could eventually include up to 6,500 families, with officials saying it will save $600,000 per month and $7.2 million annually.
Elon Musk was not convinced, sharing a news article about the scheme on X with the caption: 'Wow.'
The allowances are increased for those with young children. A family with a child under five is given $100 more a month or $36 for a child between five and 17.
Meanwhile a pregnant asylum seeker can also receive an extra $36 a month on the pre paid cards.
Following backlash earlier this month, Adams defended the scheme, explaining that at present, each migrant meal costs $11, so feeding a family of four for a day could cost up to $132.
'Not only will this provide families with the ability to purchase fresh food for their culturally relevant diets and the baby supplies of their choosing, but the pilot program is expected to save New York City more than $600,000 per month, or more than $7.2 million annually,' said Kayla Mamelak, Adams's spokesperson.
The mayor added that the program, which is being rolled out with 500 migrant families currently residing in the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, will avoid food waste.
Migrants, he said, will be able to purchase food they want to eat, as opposed to wasting some amount of what the city has been providing for them because they don't like it.
The cards, which are pre-paid debit cards - 'not an American Express card,' Adams clarified - are intended to be used exclusively for food and baby supplies for the migrants.
Additionally, Adams argues that the funds will be pumped back into the local NYC economy. Migrants, again theoretically, will only be able to use the cards in local bodegas, delis, and grocery stores.
At the end of the video, Adams said the plan is 'saving us bucks.'
But questions have been raised over the scheme and the choice of partner bank.