A New York firefighter who was fired as part of cost-cutting measures to help fund amenities for migrants in the city has died of a heart attack aged just 36 - leaving his family heartbroken and "swimming in debt".
Derek Floyd fell victim to a cardiac arrest and died on April 15, a mere four months after the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) laid him off amid large-scale budget cuts.
The married father-of-two had suffered a heart attack before, in 2019, and had since been working a desk job - but was trying to obtain medical clearance to get back into the firefighting force before he was fired.
And despite his career in the department, Floyd was given the boot just before he became eligible for medical and death benefits - which would have seen his family receive hundreds of thousands of dollars upon his death had he been kept for longer.
Floyd's widow Christine said he was "really a big-time family person, he was all about his kids"
Instagram/FDNY
After his exit, Floyd found a job with a veterans' non-profit following his former career with the Marines, with whom he had served three tours in the Middle East.
But, at the non-profit, Floyd's pay and benefits were nowhere near those he'd enjoyed at the FDNY - and the hours stopped him spending time with his children, aged two and six.
His widow, Christine, told the New York Post: "He used to be so present for our kids and stuff... Being a firefighter was something he was really passionate about. He was really a big-time family person, he was all about his kids."
She said she "wouldn't wish it [her family's experience] on anyone" and said her husband's FDNY life insurance policy "would have helped out financially because right now, it’s really bad", adding: "I’m honestly swimming in a lot of debt."
MORE FROM THE BIG APPLE:
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has taken flak for his role in suing companies bussing migrants to the city
Getty
In reaction to the news, New York lawmakers from across politics voiced their dismay.
Democratic City Councillor Bob Holden said: "What a heartbreaking story... Why was a man who served our country and our city treated so poorly? This is unacceptable. His family deserves so much better. The FDNY needed to do more to find a position that could accommodate him medically."
While Republican Joann Ariola said the situation was a "travesty", adding: "I went to the funeral and saw the hurt on his family’s faces... Derek Floyd was a true hero, and he and his family deserve better than this."
Ariola continued: "A special exemption should be granted for the Floyds to ensure that they get the full benefits that Derek would have been entitled to.
"We have a $110billion (£88billion) budget - you would think amidst all that, the city would be able to find a way to guarantee that the family of a hero can receive proper benefits."
Fire officials said they had been in talks to try and help Floyd's family out financially after his death, but were not clear on just when that might happen.
The cuts, like Floyd's, sit before a controversial backdrop for New Yorkers - some 180,000 asylum seekers have made it to the Big Apple since spring 2022 - with some bussed in directly from border cities.
In January, Mayor Eric Adams announced he was taking legal action against 17 transport companies that have shuttled migrants from Texas, claiming they violated New York Social Services Law.
Appearing on GBN America, Senior Counsel at the Lawfare Project, Gerard Filitti, said: "We are seeing the issue now of many decades of progressive policies.
"Elected officials wanted to welcome immigrants with open arms and with no questions on whether they had the ability to work, no questions on their criminal background. And now we're seeing the consequences.
"The consequences are that we have been stretched thin with our economic resources and our ability to provide basic services and goods for all of these people who are also not taxpayers or contributing to the public good."
