Billions for Non-Citizens, Nothing for You: NYC's $6.9 Billion Betrayal

New York City, a symbol of opportunity and grit, is currently failing the very people who built it. Since 2022, the city has spent more than 6.9 billion dollars with projections topping 12 billion dollars by 2026 on shelters, food, health care, and services for illegal immigrants and non-citizens who were never invited here and are not paying into the system they are draining. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of working-class New Yorkers, schoolchildren, and homeless residents are left behind, struggling for basic survival. New York City has always stood as a beacon of hope, progress, and resilience. But right now, that beacon is flickering.

While this spending is framed as humanitarian aid, the truth is harder to swallow. It has come at the direct expense of everyday New Yorkers who are struggling to survive in the city they call home. These are not anonymous numbers. They are your neighbors, your coworkers, your children’s classmates, and maybe even your own family members.

This isn’t about politics. It is about priorities. Whether you lean left or right, whether you believe in open arms or firm borders, one truth should unite us all: our government has a duty to take care of its citizens first. That is not nationalism. That is basic stewardship of public trust and public funds.

Right now, more than 100,000 people in New York City are homeless. Thousands sleep on subway benches and sidewalks. Veterans, working families, and seniors are being priced out of a city they helped build. With an estimated cost of 500,000 to 750,000 dollars per affordable housing unit, the 6.9 billion dollars already spent could have built between 9,200 and 13,800 new homes. Alternatively, using supportive housing programs that cost roughly 35,000 dollars per person per year, we could have provided secure housing and wraparound services to over 200,000 people. That means our entire homeless population could have been housed twice over, given mental health support, job placement, and a real shot at recovery. But that chance never came, because the funding went elsewhere.

Over one million students attend public schools in New York City. For many of them, a free lunch is their only reliable meal of the day. At just $3.85 cents per school lunch, 6.9 billion dollars could have provided 1.79 billion meals. That is enough to feed every student in the city for nine full school years. Instead, working parents are skipping meals to make rent, and school cafeterias stretch limited budgets while city leaders open hotel buffet lines for newcomers who have never contributed to the tax base.

The missed opportunities do not stop there. After-school programs are essential for working families, reducing crime, improving academic outcomes, and keeping kids off the streets. These programs cost an average of 3,000 to 5,000 dollars per child per year. That same 6.9 billion dollars could have funded up to 2.3 million annual program slots. Imagine how many single parents could breathe easier, how many children could have discovered a passion for music, sports, or science. Those dreams were shelved so the city could offer round-the-clock services to non-citizens.

Even New York’s iconic subway system could have seen relief. A single ride costs $2.90. With 6.9 billion dollars, the city could have covered 2.38 billion subway rides. That’s nearly a year of free transit for every resident of the city. Or, with monthly unlimited MetroCards priced at 132 dollars, the city could have funded over 52 million months of unlimited travel. That’s real, tangible financial relief for commuters, students, essential workers, and senior citizens.

The city’s infrastructure is aging rapidly. From crumbling NYCHA buildings to leaking subways and flooded streets, the need for modernization is urgent. That money could have funded the replacement of outdated heating systems in public housing, upgraded sewer systems to handle flash floods, and invested in climate-resilient infrastructure like green roofs, clean energy, and electric buses. Instead, we’re spending millions a day on temporary hotel rooms and short-term contracts with no plan for sustainability.

The $6.9 billion New York City has spent could have been used far more effectively to fix the root causes of the immigration crisis rather than reacting to its consequences. That money could have funded thousands of new immigration judges, asylum officers, and caseworkers to dramatically speed up legal processing, reduce the massive backlog, and discourage illegal entry. It could have supported the expansion of legal visa programs for workers and families, helping people come through the front door rather than cross illegally. By investing in modern border intake centers, regional processing hubs, and foreign diplomacy to stabilize struggling nations, this funding could have made a real impact both at home and abroad.

Instead of overwhelming one city, these resources could have been distributed nationally to build infrastructure in high-impact areas, reduce the need for emergency shelters, and help communities prepare. Redirecting those billions toward systemic reform would have been a smarter, more compassionate solution that supports legal immigration, protects our border, and prevents future chaos, all while easing the strain on New York’s own homeless, hungry, and struggling residents.

This is not about lacking compassion. Most New Yorkers are deeply empathetic. We are a city of immigrants, dreamers, and survivors. But there’s a line between helping and neglecting your own. Our children are going hungry. Our veterans are sleeping on the streets. Our schools are under-resourced, our infrastructure is crumbling, and our working-class families are being squeezed from every direction. Meanwhile, billions are funneled into emergency support for individuals who are not citizens, have not contributed, and are here without legal status. That is not compassion. That is dysfunction.

Progressives should be asking: What kind of society are we if we cannot care for the people already suffering within our own borders? Conservatives should be asking: What kind of leadership spends billions on those who bypass the law while ignoring taxpaying citizens? Everyone should be asking: Where is the accountability?

The 6.9 billion dollars already spent and the projected 12 billion by 2026, is not theoretical. It was your money. It came from your paycheck, your MetroCard, your rent. And what did you get in return? For many, the answer is simple. You got left behind.

New York City had a choice. It could have invested in its people, in its neighborhoods, in its future. Instead, it made a decision that hurt the very foundation of the city, its citizens. It is time to re-center our policies around fairness, responsibility, and compassion that begins at home.

If we do not, the city that never sleeps might finally collapse under the weight of its own misplaced priorities.

*This essay was edited and fact checked by ChatGPT.

*Image created by ChatGPT.