Democrat-run New York, overcrowded with illegal immigrants, is now handing out cash payments to unlawful migrants following a rule change allowing them to qualify for welfare.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) recently changed parameters in its Safety Net Assistance (SNA) program, qualifying illegal immigrants who have filled out asylum qualifications to receive additional taxpayer funds.
On May 12, 2023, the Hochul administration sent a memorandum to welfare office workers in New York, laying out the revised standards required to qualify for SNA, which include “non-citizens who are considered permanently residing under color of law (PRUCOL).”
Democrat voters elected Democrats who are prioritizing illegals over New Yorkers needs.
You voted for it, look at what you've done.
New York rule change makes thousands of migrants eligible for cash payments
As many as 17,000 migrants could be receiving the payments in New…
— Wendy Patterson (@wendyp4545) February 19, 2024
“PRUCOL is not an immigration status, but a public benefit category used by OTDA for the purposes of Safety Net Assistance (SNA) eligibility,” the memorandum states.
Breitbart News reported that the SNA program monetarily helps families and individuals in need unable to qualify for other forms of welfare. Among those eligible to receive such care include single adults, couples without children, children who do not live with adult relatives, and families of drug or alcohol users.
“Generally, you can receive cash SNA for a maximum of two years in a lifetime,” Hochul’s office said. “After that, if you are eligible for SNA, it is provided in non-cash form, such as a payment made directly to your landlord or voucher sent directly to your utility company.”
It is estimated that around 10% of illegal immigrants in New York are taking advantage of the SNA program, according to Breitbart News. Since the spring of 2022, over 170,000 unlawful migrants have arrived in New York City.
OTDA spokesman Anthony Farmer said the SNA payments to illegal immigrants are just a “small portion” of the $4.3 billion in taxpayer funds that Hochul has earmarked to deal with the migrant crisis “in the absence of new federal aid.”
“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,” Farmer said.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) issued a scathing rebuke of Hochul following her decision to modify the SNA program to benefit unlawful migrants.
“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,” Malliotakis told the New York Post.
“[Safety Net Assistance] is a program that’s supposed to be for New Yorkers who temporarily need it to get through a difficult time in their lives,” she added.
