(NewsNation) — An influx of migrants coming to America means states like New York and Massachusetts are spending billions of dollars in resources for them.
In New York City, for instance, $53 million is being spent on a pilot program to distribute prepaid debit cards to migrant families meant to help them buy food and baby supplies.
NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 reported these prepaid debit cards are being used in place of NYC’s current system of providing non-perishable food boxes to migrant families staying in hotels. Officials say it is being used as a cost-saving measure.
Cards will be given to an initial 500 families.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts has more than a dozen contracts out totaling $116 million to house migrants, according to WBZ-TV. About $10 million of that is for food, with some vendors reportedly charging $64 per day per person to provide meals.
That’s $16 for breakfast, $17 for lunch and about $31 for dinner.
One of those state-approved vendors is Spinelli Ravioli Manufacturing Company in East Boston, which was awarded a $10 million, 6-month no-bid contract to cook and deliver meals to migrants.
A representative from Spinelli Ravioli told NewsNation that they are providing three hot meals a day to migrants, though declined to say the exact amount they charge per person for food.
In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed a $53 billion state spending plan which includes an additional $182 million for migrants, on top of the $638 million already spent. Chicago alone has put aside $150 million from the city budget for migrants since 2022.