Greg Abbott slams NYC plan to give migrants prepaid cards

Texas Governor Greg Abbott slammed New York City’s mayor for his plan to provide migrants with prepaid credit cards, calling the proposal “insanity,” “reprehensible” and “offensive.”

Reported first in the New York Post, the program will give prepaid cards to migrants staying in short-term hotels to help them buy food. It will start with a group of 500 migrant families and is meant to replace the current food service offered. The cards can only be used at grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores or bodegas, the New York Post reported. Migrants must sign an affidavit swearing they will only spend the funds on food and baby supplies or risk getting thrown out of the program, which is run by a New Jersey company called Mobility Capital Finance. While the amount given out will vary and be based on family size, a family of four may be able to receive nearly $1,000 each month for food.

“It sounds like insanity is behind it because it really is offensive. It may be the most reprehensible thing that I’ve seen take place over the last 48 hours,” Abbott told Fox Business’ Mario Bartiromo on Sunday.

“What’s going on in New York is outrageous and Americans across the country are angry, not just about what’s going on in New York, but the underlying cause for it, which is Joe Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott continued.

The Texas Republican has made the border crisis a priority for his administration, doubling down on enforcement at the border amid an escalating feud with the federal government over who controls part of the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle Pass. Although immigration law enforcement is under the jurisdiction of the federal government, Abbott claims the Biden administration has failed to enforce immigration law, leaving the state to fend for itself. Abbott has repeatedly sent busloads of migrants who crossed the border into Texas to New York City.

But Abbott is not the only Texan to voice his opinion on the Big Apple’s new program. On Saturday adopted Houstonian 50 Cent wrote on his Instagram, in a now-deleted post, his feelings on the plan. 

“WTF mayor Adams call my phone, I don’t understand how this works somebody explain. @arimelber can’t explain this I’m stuck maybe TRUMP is the answer,” wrote 50 Cent.

The Houston-based rapper whose real name is Curtis Jackson has not been shy about his political preferences. In 2020, the “In Da Club” hitmaker encouraged his followers to vote for Trump because of Joe Biden’s proposed tax plan (though he later backtracked from his apparent endorsement). The rapper ultimately followed up on his threat to move to Texas to cut his taxes in 2021.