On Tuesday, the New York City mayor, alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, announced the launch of a new free child care program that will not only cost taxpayers an estimated $36,500 per child but will also be available to the city's illegal immigrant population.
Gov. Hochul recently allocated $73 million in state funding for Mamdani’s 2,000-seat pilot program, helping him advance his campaign promise to provide universal childcare for all city children ages six weeks to five years old. However, the mayor was not shy about extending universal childcare services to illegal immigrants.
Raising taxes on middle class Americans to pay for the “free” care of illegal aliens. Typical. https://t.co/uhx1cTXF9Z
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 4, 2026
"What we are rolling out today is for parents of two-year-olds in the neighborhoods that we have listed. It covers the neighborhoods that I've said as well as parts of other neighborhoods that are covered within the school districts, the Chancellor said," Mamdani said during the press conference. "All that is required is that parents live within that school district, no matter the amount of money they make, the occupation they have, their immigration status, so long as they live there, they can apply."
The pilot program will roll out across five school districts, primarily serving lower-income and diverse neighborhoods, which will have the first opportunity to enroll their children in the initiative, previously called “2-Care.”
Not only will Mamdani's pilot program be available to illegal immigrants, but the program will be yet another lesson in government inefficiency as it is set to cost $13,000 more per child than private childcare services.
Gov. Hochul said the program was made possible by the state’s well-managed budget, which allowed her to direct surplus funds toward Mamdani’s universal child care initiative.
“We’ve done such a good job managing our budget that we’re able to provide this new program in an enhanced way to have 2-year-old care in the city of New York, in addition to all the other investments we made throughout the state with current revenues,” Hochul said at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling.
The program is set to cost taxpayers $425 million by 2027.
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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