NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s neighbor, a retired 9/11 responder, says Hochul, DAs have ‘blood on their hands
A retired 9/11 first responder and neighbor of slain New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officer Jonathan Diller charged that Gov. Kathy Hochul, and liberal district attorneys and judges, have “blood on their hands” in an interview with Fox News Digital, as officials say the two men connected to Diller’s fatal shooting during a traffic stop had at least 20 prior arrests. Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire during a traffic stop conducted by Diller and his partner in Far Rockaway, Queens, at about 5:45 p.m. on Monday on a vehicle illegally parked at a bus stop. Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly fired first at police, fatally striking Diller in the torso below his protective vest. Rivera was also struck by return fire and reportedly remains hospitalized. Like Rivera, the driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, also had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. As New York City mourns 31-year-old Diller, who lived on Long Island with his wife and nearly 1-year-old son, one of his neighbors in Massapequa Park, N.Y., blasted Hochul for supporting bail reform policies. Michael Blangiforti, who served in the NYPD for 20 years, including in the 105th Precinct where Diller worked, told Fox News Digital, “the inexplicable bail reform that’s in New York, combined with revolving door justice — it simply makes no sense. There’s no common sense behind the decision-making.” “This governor is awful,” he said. In the wake of Diller’s death, Hochul released a statement that read, “I am heartbroken by the senseless killing of Officer Jonathan Diller tonight in Queens. My prayers are with his family, loved ones and the members of the NYPD. His heroism and service will never be forgotten.” SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS But Blangiforti, who retired in 2008 as a detective squad commander, torched the governor’s response. “That’s a canned statement. Do you think she actually wrote it?” he told Fox News Digital. “Somebody in her staff wrote what you’re supposed to write. I bet if you compared them side by side every time a tragedy happened, they all be identical. Oh, my thoughts and prayers are with the family. He’s a hero and so forth and so on. Yet, you support the laws that allowed this to happen.” “We don’t want your love and prayers and thoughts. We don’t want it,” he continued. “What we want is for you to write something that these policies that I’ve supported in the past are wrong. And I see that now. I see that they’re wrong and I need to change. I need to change. I need to do a paradigm shift because obviously something’s not working. Okay. So Governor Hochul, you’re fake. You’re fake. And you’re part of the problem.” New York City Major Eric Adams told reporters on Tuesday that crime in New York City centers around three issues — recidivism, severe mental illness and random acts of violence – calling on Albany lawmakers to enact legislation to take action in the wake of Diller’s death, as well as another fatal subway shoving this week. “Jonathan is a symbol. Those of you who have children, imagine just the pain of that of going through something that’s unnatural. Parents should never have to bury their children. There’s nothing natural about that. And watching his wife as she’s just holding on, hoping not to hear those words come back. Just a senseless act of violence,” Adams said. “We have real recidivist problem. These two individuals, one of the men had been arrested on a gun charge in April 2023 – the driver has more than 20 priors, the other has an equal amount of priors. Recidivism is a real issue.” NYPD OFFICER SHOT, KILLED DURING CAR STOP IN QUEENS BY SUSPECT WITH MULTIPLE PRIOR ARRESTS: POLICE “Bad guys no longer fear the police. They feel emboldened to do whatever they want,” Adams added. In addition to Diller’s slaying, Blangiforti cited the 2015 shooting death of Officer Brian Moore who also served in the 105th Precinct. “It’s very upsetting and something, something has to change because these, the DA’s, the judges, they have blood on their hands, and nobody seems to call them out. Nobody seems to realize that they’re the ones who are releasing these violent felons back on the street,” Blangiforti said. “It’s unconscionable that somebody with 21 prior arrests, one for gun possession, one for armed robbery to gun, the gun charge was less than a year ago. And yet he’s, you know, he’s walking the streets, is not in prison and has a gun and seems to have no problem just shooting a cop.” Over the past several years, Blangiforti said he’s witnessed “a disdain” toward police officers and worsening perception, arguing some media outlets “cherry pick all the bad things, about law enforcement officers and completely overlook the 99% of good police officers that risked their lives every day, that all they want to do is help people in their jurisdiction.” “It emboldens criminals like this, violent criminals to just act with reckless disregard for a police officer’s life. But 21 arrests, armed robbery, gun charges. And this guy is walking around on the street. They have they have blood on their hands. Everybody who votes for these bail reform laws, everybody who’s part of revolving door justice. Judges are even handcuffed by these laws,” Blangiforti said. “They’re letting these armed, dangerous people back out on the street. What’s happened to our society?” “It’s not just the police officers,” Blangiforti said, acknowledging that Diller’s case is much more elevated because he was a member of law enforcement, but every day New Yorkers are subjected to violent crime. “But what about other people? You have innocent victims all over the city. And that’s because of these reckless, lack of common sense by these people in positions of authority that have turned on the citizens. They’re more
Trump tops Biden with double-digit lead in deep-red state being targeted by Democrats: poll
Former President Donald Trump leads President Biden in the race for Texas’ 40 electoral votes by double his margin of victory in the Lone Star State four years ago, according to a new poll. And the survey released Tuesday by Marist College also indicates Republican Sen. Ted Cruz with a six-point advantage over his Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred, in a key Senate showdown as the GOP aims to regain the chamber’s majority in November’s elections. Trump carried Texas over Biden by roughly 5.5 points in 2020, which was the smallest margin of victory for a GOP presidential nominee in the deep-red state in nearly a quarter-century. TRUMP HOLDS EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE POLL But according to the Marist poll, which was conducted March 18-21, the former president leads his successor in the White House by 11 points (55%-44%) among registered voters. But Trump’s lead narrows to 7 points (53%-46%) among those who say they’ll definitely cast a ballot in the November election. “Independents, who Biden carried by 6-percentage points in 2020, now break for Trump. Trump receives 56% of Texas independents to 41% for Biden,” the release from Marist highlights. BIDEN-TRUMP SEQUEL UNDERWAY IN HISTORY MAKING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION REMATCH The poll also suggests Biden has lost his advantage among younger voters, and that Trump has made major inroads among Black and Latino voters. In a possible three-candidate race, which includes Democrat-turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the poll indicates Trump at 48%, Biden with 36% and Kennedy at 15%. Kennedy, the environmental activist, high-profile vaccine skeptic and scion of the nation’s most famous political dynasty, has yet to obtain ballot access in Texas. CRUZ HAULS IN BIG BUCKS AS HE PREPARES FOR ROUGH RE-ELECTION Cruz, the conservative firebrand who’s running for a third six-year term representing Texas in the Senate, tops Allred 51%-45% among registered voters, according to the poll. Cruz’s margin over Allred, a former professional football player in the NFL and a three-term congressman representing a suburban Dallas district, is roughly the same among likely voters. “Among independents, Cruz (50%) is up by eight percentage points against Allred (42%),” a release from Marist spotlights. “There is a wide gender gap. Cruz (59%) carries men by 21 percentage points over Allred (38%). Allred (52%) tops Cruz (44%) among women.” While the controversial Cruz holds a 45%-43% favorable/unfavorable rating in the new survey, Allred is not well known. Fifty-three percent of those questioned said they had never heard of Allred, or didn’t know enough about him to answer the question. Immigration, at 27%, was the top issue on the minds of voters in Texas, which shares a 1,254 border with Mexico. According to the survey, inflation (at 26%) was the second most important issue, followed by preserving democracy (at 24%). The poll had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Legal experts say it’s rare to pursue jail time in securities fraud cases like Paxton’s
In 2015, Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted on three securities fraud felony charges. Experts in securities fraud say those charges are rarely pursued.
GOP senator outraged by weekly reports of migrant arrivals released by DHS
EXCLUSIVE: A Tennessee lawmaker is hitting back at the Biden administration, saying the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has failed to be transparent about the release of migrants into the U.S. after the emergence of notices going to cities in his states alerting them to migrants who have said they are heading there. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is releasing DHS notices received by local officials in the state that show how many migrants are believed to be heading to them on a weekly basis. Called “Intended Destination of Noncitizens Processed at the Southwest Border,” the notices explain how Customs and Border Protection first vet migrants’ biographic and biometric information against a number of databases before they are released into the interior. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER HIT NEW FEBRUARY RECORD HIGH The notices say that arrivals could include migrants who have entered legally via ports of entry using the CBP One app, or entered illegally between ports of entry and who have either passed a “credible fear” screening or who are enrolled in removal proceedings and are released pending their removal hearings. While DHS does not transport adult migrants directly within the interior, the notice says that migrants will provide their intended destination to officials before they are released. Once migrants are released, they may be enrolled into Alternatives to Detention but are free to travel as they see fit, and federal authorities have no say over where they go. In the notice given to officials in Tennessee, and provided to Fox News Digital, it told officials in Nashville, Davidson, Murfreesboro and Franklin that 573 noncitizens had provided their areas as destinations for the week ending Sept. 16, 2023. Of those, 200 were from Guatemala, 200 from Venezuela and 100 were from Honduras and Mexico. Hagerty accused the administration of a lack of transparency toward broader requests for information from members of Congress on how many migrants are going to which areas. “Americans are well aware that, under President Biden, every town is a border town. Along with many other members of Congress and concerned citizens, I’ve sought transparency for three years from the Biden Administration regarding its resettlement efforts through legislation and oversight inquiries—to no avail,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “With the revelation of letters stating exactly how many migrants are resettling in a particular area for a particular week, it’s now clear that the Biden Administration has this information and has simply been hiding it.” BIDEN, TEXAS FEUD OVER ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LAW AS MIGRANTS RUSH BORDER: WHAT TO KNOW “This begs questions that demand answers: How many migrants has Biden’s Department of Homeland Security knowingly resettled in American towns? How have these migrants been vetted? Do they pose a threat to American citizens? Americans and local governments forced to deal with the impacts of this President’s border crisis and the resettlement in their communities deserve to know what the Biden Administration knows.” In response, Hagerty is setting up a website via which officials can submit the letter they have received. DHS stressed that it does not coordinate the travel of migrants, but that it does coordinate and share information with local officials and NGOs and where they intend to travel. Consequently, the purpose of the notification was to let officials know that noncitizens intended to travel to the area. “DHS does not transport noncitizens to Tennessee. DHS works in close coordination with local officials, law enforcement, and NGOs to share timely information regarding noncitizens who have been screened, vetted, and conditionally released from custody pending the outcome of their immigration court proceedings,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “We will continue to partner with communities hosting recently arrived noncitizens to identify ways we can continue to maximize our support, while enforcing the law and returning or removing those without a legal basis to remain in the country,” they said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS COVERAGE The agency said that communication can ensure that migrants can connect with humanitarian aid and receive help with transportation while they go through the removal process. The notices highlight the ongoing issues and tensions connected to the release of migrants into the interior. The Biden administration has said it needs more funding, including for removals and detention space as well as money for cities and NGOs receiving migrants. It has called on Congress to pass immigration reform and approve additional funding — including in a bipartisan Senate border bill and DHS’ most recent budget request. However, Republicans claim the border crisis has been caused by the policies of the Biden administration, including its reversal of Trump administration policies. They have called for an end to “catch-and-release,” additional wall construction and stricter interior enforcement. Last week, Customs and Border Protection announced that the number of migrant encounters had hit a new record for February, with over 189,000 encounters for the month.
Texas AG Ken Paxton cuts deal to pay $300K and avoid felony trial on fraud charges: ‘Happy to comply’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution on Tuesday under a deal cut with federal prosecutors to terminate fraud charges that have been leveraged against him for nine years. Paxton had pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors announced the decision in a Houston courtroom just weeks before Paxton was set to face trial, where he could have faced 99 years in prison if found guilty. Paxton’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, told Fox News Digital following the announcement that “the state finally realized that they could not prove the charges and simply made us an offer that I could not in good faith advise my client to turn down.” “Anytime a prosecutor offers clear path to have all the charges against a client of mine dismissed, I am going to recommend they take that path. Only a fool would do otherwise,” he said. EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR DETAILS SURFACE IN HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON Cogdell said in a press conference Tuesday that Paxton is “happy to comply with the agreement” and avoid a federal trial. “We’re glad to have this behind us. Eighteen months from now, or perhaps shorter, the case will be dismissed. There will never be a conviction, and Ken Paxton, at least today, can begin to go back and do what he should have been doing all along and that is representing the state of Texas.” “This was a case we knew in fact from the beginning they couldn’t prove … on year nine, we still know they couldn’t prove,” Cogdell said. “You don’t go to trial to prove your innocence, the Constitution says the exact opposite of that.” TEXAS AG PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES: ‘THE TRUTH PREVAILED’ In July 2015, before he became the state’s top law enforcement officer, Paxton was indicted on charges of allegedly misleading and defrauding wealthy tech startup investors and failing to disclose that the startup was paying him to promote its assets. A Texas grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of first-degree securities fraud and a charge of not registering. Paxton was also fined in 2014 for not disclosing to Texas securities regulators that he was getting commissions for soliciting investors. TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, ARGUES ‘ESTABLISHMENT RINOS’ WANT TO ‘UNDO’ ELECTION The deal that gets Paxton off the hook, which requires him to pay full restitution to victims and complete 100 community service hours and 15 hours of legal education classes, is the second legal victory for the AG in recent months. In September 2023, Paxton was acquitted of all impeachment articles filed against him for corruption and unfitness for office. He had faced accusations that he misused his political power to help real estate developer Nate Paul — allegations that stemmed from a lawsuit filed by four former employees who reported him to the FBI. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fmr Navy SEAL rips Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal after Mark Milley grilled on Capitol Hill: ‘Abject failure’
FIRST ON FOX: Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, a GOP rising star competing in the 2024 Montana Senate race, said the congressional hearing on the “very poorly” executed withdrawal from Afghanistan indicates that there remains no accountability for the 2021 event that “sent a message of weakness around the world.” Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie testified on Tuesday in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the Biden administration’s deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Both generals agreed that more could have been done to prevent the chaos that unfolded as a result of the withdrawal, admitting that “the fundamental mistake, the fundamental flaw, was the timing of the State Department call” for the evacuation of U.S. citizens who remained in the country. Sheehy, who received the Bronze Star with Valor for Heroism in Combat and the Purple Heart Medal, remains “proud” of his military service in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and the Pacific region, but he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that “Afghanistan was an abject failure in every respect of everything that those organizations are charged to do.” AFGHANISTAN’S SCHOOL YEAR BGEINS WITHOUT 1 MILLION GIRLS BARRED FROM EDUCATION BY TALIBAN “Our intelligence community and military are great organizations. I was a part of them for a long time. I’m proud of them. But we also have to be able to recognize our failures when they happen and call them that and then improve as an organization,” Sheehy told Fox News Digital. “And Afghanistan was an abject failure in every respect of everything that those organizations are charged to do.” MILLEY AND MCKENZIE CRITICAL OF DELAYS IN DECISION MAKING DURING AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWL: ‘FAR TOO LATE’ After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban quickly took over Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul and thousands of U.S. citizens and allies were left behind in a region controlled by a radical Islamist group. “Since what’s happened there, with obviously the Taliban flying our helicopters all over the country, taking our weapons, we sent a message of weakness around the world,” Sheehy said of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. The Senate candidate added that “no one’s been held accountable” for the withdrawal, which began undergoing hearings by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2023. “We don’t seem to have learned from that incident, and accountability has not yet been restored. We haven’t had any generals get fired. No secretaries of state or defense get relieved. No one’s been held accountable for that abject failure. And this hearing just proves that.” Milley noted during the hearing that the State Department was made aware of concerns over the withdrawal over a month before it was executed. Sheehy agreed that the withdrawal was “handled very poorly,” especially given that officials overseeing the operation were aware there was a strong likelihood of deadly repercussions that could follow. “There’s a long list of things that could have been done. And I think the first thing you’ll hear from a lot of these military officers is that they were overridden by the administration and the recommendations they made,” Sheehy told Fox. “And we shouldn’t have been telling everyone around the entire world we’re going to be out by the state. Tactically, this was handled very poorly. And the people on the ground who knew how to do this properly from a tactical perspective, were not listened to.” Some Democrat lawmakers have pointed to the administration under former President Trump, who endorsed Sheehy in his Senate race to unseat Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, contributing to the withdrawal. Sheehy touched on the issue, saying the administration has a history of blaming Republicans for their “abject failures.” “You know, they did the exact same thing in Iraq. When Obama pulled us out there, they blamed it on Bush. You know, they always want to blame, the mistakes leading up to this on the previous guy. Just like they’re blaming Ukraine somehow now on Trump,” Sheehy said, defending the former President Trump. “They’re giving billions of dollars to Iran and pulling us out of Afghanistan. And then, of course, when he actually does execute his invasion of Ukraine, somehow it’s the fault of Republicans. So, you know, it’s just it’s unconscionable that they continue to blame their total abject failures on the previous administrations.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and State Department.
Virginia county declares Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter this year
A Virginia county unanimously voted to observe its Transgender Day of Visibility this year on Easter Sunday – a move some critics see as “intentionally trying to offend Christians on the holiest of days.” The Fairfax Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 in favor of the proclamation last week, with one board member, Republican Supervisor Patrick Herrity, absent. March 31 – when Easter occurs this year – is typically the date when TDOV is celebrated annually, according to LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations. Easter doesn’t fall on the same day every year for Protestants and Catholics, and can come as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. COLORADO COULD BECOME THE FIRST STATE TO BUILD SEPARATE PRISON UNITS FOR TRANSGENDER FELONS “I’m just very happy that we’re recognizing a community that has too often been pushed into the shadows and celebrating yet another community within our diverse tapestry here in Fairfax County,” Supervisor Jimmy Bierman, a Democrat, said during the vote. Bierman, one of the nine members who requested the proclamation, added the county wants “to make sure that everybody who’s a part of our community feels welcomed, feels loved and feels empowered.” Democrat board member James Walkinshaw, referring to Herrity’s absence, said he’s “looking forward to the day when we have a full dais for this proclamation, and that day will come.” County Board Chairman Jeff McKay, a Democrat, called the proclamation part of the board’s “moral responsibility to stand up for all people, not just the people we like or the people we agree with.” But Stephanie Lundquist-Arora – a Virginia mom and the Fairfax chapter leader of the Independent Women’s Network, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as “a private online forum empowering conservative women to inspire, influence, and impact their communities” – called the decision “reprehensible.” Lundquist-Arora told Fox News Digital in a statement that board members “are not simply trying to make transgender people feel seen.” “By voting to make Easter this year Transgender Visibility Day, they are intentionally trying to offend Christians on the holiest of days by forcing gender ideology down their throats,” she said. “This is reprehensible and unbecoming of our elected representatives.” The LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign casts observance of TDOV as an acknowledgment of the “significant progress in recent years, with more visibility than ever before.” But it contends the group is “still fighting for basic human rights for the community.” GLAAD, the largest non-governmental LGBTQ+ media monitoring nonprofit, places TDOV in a political light. The group says on its website that the prevalence of so-called “anti-LGBTQ+ bills,” such as those restricting surgical procedures and hormone prescriptions for children, “harms all trans people.” “That’s why it’s still necessary for trans people to be seen through authentic, diverse, and accurate stories which reflect the actual lived experiences of trans people; both for themselves and for those people who believe they’ve never met a trans person,” GLAAD states. “This includes in news media, where too often trans people’s voices are missing from coverage of anti-trans laws and policies affecting their lives.” DETRANSITIONERS SAY THEY FACE VITRIOL FROM TRANS ACTIVISTS THEY PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED A ‘SECOND FAMILY’ The Fairfax County proclamation comes amid a push from more conservative states to enact laws restricting both surgical and nonsurgical transgender procedures for minors. States such as Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida make it a felony to perform surgical procedures, such as sex changes, on minors or provide them with any gender-transition prescriptions. Meanwhile, several states have created “shield laws” that protect these procedures and gender-transition prescriptions for transgender people. Those states include California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts.
Weather update: IMD predicts rain, snowfall in several states; check forecast for this week
IMD predictrs light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms in North Eastern India, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya on 25th and 26th March. Gangetic West Bengal to witness light rainfall with thunderstorms today.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ends 21-day-long hunger strike in Ladakh, says ‘this is not the…’
He sat on a 21-day hunger strike demanding for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
New York City begins giving illegal immigrants prepaid debit cards as part of $53 million pilot program
Officials in New York City have begun giving out prepaid debit cards to migrant families residing in the Big Apple. The first batch of debit cards, which are reportedly meant to be used by the illegal immigrants to purchase food and baby supplies, were handed out Monday to a handful of migrant families in the city, New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office confirmed to Fox News Digital. The effort is part of a reported $53 million pilot program to hand out prepaid credit cards to migrant families housed in hotels despite public outcry. The program, which the mayor’s office confirmed will provide migrant families of four with two children under 5 with up to $350 each week until the end of their stay, began with a limited number of families on Monday and will expand to about 115 families, or roughly 460 people, over the next week. ADAMS DEFENDS PREPAID MIGRANT CARDS, PART OF $53M NYC PILOT PROGRAM: ‘NOT GIVING PEOPLE AMERICAN EXPRESS’ 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.” “A large part of our success is due to our constant work to find new ways to better serve the hundreds of individuals and families arriving every single day, as well as the longtime New Yorkers experiencing homelessness who are already in our care,” the spokesperson said. “That is why we are excited to launch an innovative, cost-saving pilot program with Mobility Capital Finance to distribute pre-paid cards to migrant families to purchase only food and baby supplies.” “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 taxpayers more than $600,000 per month and $7 million per year,” the spokesperson added. “The prepaid cards can be used exclusively at select stores to ensure the money is spent on food and baby supplies.” Under the pilot program, which is expected to last for six weeks, migrants could receive more money from the city than the state gives to low-income and elderly New Yorkers under SNAP benefits. According to the state’s website, single households are eligible for up to $291 a month in SNAP benefits aimed at providing “low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others” money to buy food products. NYC SPENDING $53M ON MIGRANT PREPAID DEBIT CARDS WITH 1 IN 4 KIDS LIVING IN POVERTY The migrant pilot program also hands out more than two times the amount the state gives monthly in services for single veterans, Fox News’s Bryan Llenas reported last month. Mayor Adams, a Democrat, has vehemently defended the program and the “misinformation” surrounding it. Appearing before a state legislative budget hearing in Albany last month, Adams said, “We’re not giving people American Express cards.” “We found that the food delivery service that we set up during the emergency – we could find a better way to do it in our belief that we want to cut 20% of the migrant costs. So we have a pilot project with 500 people that we are giving them food cards, so instead of a debit card, instead of having to deliver food, and have people eat food — we were seeing wasting food — they’re now able to get their own food, that is going to be spent $12 a day,” he said at the time. “So we are going to save money on delivery, we’re going to save money on people wasting food, and this is a pilot project we’re going to use that is going to save us $6.7 million a year,” he added. “And if the pilot turns out to be successful, then we’re going to expand it not only with the migrants and asylum seekers, we’d look to do that expansion throughout the entire system — trying to find smarter, more cost — effective ways to deal with this crisis that was dropped in our lap.” The mayor’s explanation came in February during an annual hearing, known as “Tin Cup Day,” when mayors make budgetary requests before the state legislature. New York City’s government has projected it will spend at least $10.6 billion on migrants by summer 2025. New York state has already vowed to contribute about $2 billion in the current budget cycle to the migrant crisis, but Adams told lawmakers that the state pledge would only cover one-third of the city’s migrant costs. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, another Democrat, has suggested the state earmark $2.4 billion to go toward migrant services in the next budget cycle, but the details have not been ironed out before the state legislature. Adams’ office said even that allocation proposed by Hochul would be $600 million short of what the city needs in its next budget cycle, the New York Daily News reported last month. Roughly 180,000 migrants have arrived in