Connection between NYC Migrant Crisis and Firefighter’s Tragic Death

A New York City firefighter passed away from a heart attack shortly after being dismissed due to Mayor Eric Adams’ budget cuts to address the city’s migrant crisis.

The New York Post reported on Sunday that Derek Floyd, 36, suffered cardiac arrest and left behind a wife and two young children. He had been let go by the FDNY following budget cuts of around $4 billion by Mayor Adams to address the migrant crisis in the city, as reported by Fox 5 in November.

The FDNY budget was slated to be reduced by $74 million by the end of 2025. Without additional federal assistance from the Biden administration, the mayor sought funding to aid migrant families arriving in New York City.

One of the initiatives introduced by the Adams administration was a $53 million pilot program to distribute prepaid credit cards to migrant families living in hotels for groceries or baby supplies, as reported by Newsmax.

Firefighter positions like Floyd’s were among those eliminated under the budget cuts. Floyd, a Marine Corps veteran who had served three tours in the Middle East, had been in a long-term duty role at the FDNY office and was hoping to return to active duty.

However, he was dismissed just weeks before Christmas, a move deemed unnecessary by the Uniformed Firefighter Association President Andrew Ansbro, who stated that Floyd’s termination was unjustified as the FDNY was facing a shortage of hundreds of firefighters.

Following Floyd’s dismissal, his family lost out on vital medical and death benefits that he had been close to attaining. His widow, Cristine Floyd, expressed financial hardships due to the loss of medical benefits and the lack of life insurance that would have been available if Floyd had remained employed.

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax with nearly four decades of experience in news, sports, and politics, contributed to this article.