Even Democrats are crying foul now that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is quietly handing out taxpayer money to criminal illegal aliens.
“The endless handouts to the entire world are a slap in the face to every citizen who has contributed to and sacrificed for this country,” New York City councilmember Robert Holden, a Democrat, told the New York Post this weekend. “It’s time to end this madness.”
But how is this even happening? The Post notes that in May, the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) modified its “Safety Net Assistance” (SNA) program so as to make criminal illegal aliens eligible for it.
“Effective immediately, OTDA recognizes non-citizens in any of the following categories as PRUCOL for the purposes of SNA eligibility. If otherwise eligible, individuals presenting immigration documentation
evidencing any of the categories below can receive SNA,” an under-the-radar announcement from OTDA reads.
PRUCOL is short for Permanently Residing Under Color of Law, and according to the New York government, it “was created by courts and is used for public benefits eligibility, including Medicaid.”
Thousands of Illegals Quietly Put on Welfare Rolls By NY Democrat Governor Hochul.
And that is how the Democrat party thanks its lower-income, below-poverty-level constituents, not to mention all the jobs these illegal aliens will take from entry-level, minimum-wage jobs. Geller— Larry P Thomas (@larrythkw) February 11, 2024
The only potential good news is that OTDA has claimed only 10 percent of the state’s current criminal illegal alien population is eligible.
ODTA spokesman Anthony Farmer said the SNA payments account for just a “small portion” of the $4.3 billion the governor has allocated for resolving the criminal illegal alien crisis.
“At the request of New York City, OTDA made a technical update to allow a small percentage of migrants to receive certain additional support in compliance with state and federal law,” he added.
That being said, even 10 percent is a lot of people.
“With more than 173,000 migrants coming to the Big Apple since spring 2022, if only 10% of migrants here are eligible for SNA payments, the number of recipients could exceed 17,000 in NYC alone,” the Post notes.
This is infuriating, the Post further notes, because SNA is a state program designed to help needy Americans “who don’t qualify for conventional public assistance, including single adults, childless couples, and families of persons abusing alcohol and drugs.”
“Recipients typically get monthly checks totaling hundreds of dollars and must only use the money to help pay rent and utility costs or purchase clothing or other necessities,” according to the Post.
The public, of course, is just as mad about this as Democrats like Holden:
Just when u think things can’t anymore screwed up
— rosemari (@rosemarimalone) February 10, 2024
Is anyone surprised by this? Maybe the liberals in NY who will be paying much higher taxes will finally wake up.
— StOrMyNiGhT (@StOrMyN22133081) February 10, 2024
She should have to pay out of her own pocket. Tax payers should have a say in how their hard earned money is spent. Otherwise, it is theft.
— (@DetailedDevil1) February 10, 2024
This is outrageous! They are giving illegals benefits while American citizens are struggling. The most disrespectful thing about this is, we as tax-payers are footing the bill for these ppl!
— ✨Olivia A.✨ (@OliviaHoney11) February 11, 2024
I am a disabled vet & I can’t get food stamps or housing assistance, but they give it away to those who didn’t even work or fight for these benefits. My American family struggles while people who broke the law to get here get free everythingmake it make sense
— Teresa Walker (@PopnMimiWalker) February 10, 2024
Republicans are also upset.
It’s “horrible that Gov. Hochul found another way to attract migrants” to New York while simultaneously “putting the squeeze” on struggling, tax-paying families, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, said.
“You have people from all over the world coming to New York to take advantage of all these left-wing programs the governor, the mayor are implementing, while at the same time, they’re clobbering taxpayers over the head,” she added.
Hochul isn’t alone in doing the “clobbering.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also guilty. According to the Post, he recently announced a program to provide criminal illegal aliens with pre-paid credit cards.
“The $53 million pilot program, run by the New Jersey company Mobility Capital Finance, will provide asylum seekers arriving at the Roosevelt Hotel with the city cash to help them buy food,” the Post reported around the start of the month.
“It’ll start with a group of 500 migrant families in short-term hotel stays and will replace the current food service offered there,” the Post’s reporting continued.
Word of this program prompted fury from rapper 50 Cent:
50 Cent slams NYC Mayor Eric Adams for his new scheme handing out credit cards to illegal immigrants.
Mayor Adams is planning to spend $53 million on handing out pre-loaded credit cards with a $1000 balance on it and repeating this every 28 days for illegals.
Rapper 50 Cent… pic.twitter.com/Fl6VVlJ5Fd
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 3, 2024
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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