REPORT: New York Firefighter Laid Off To Pay For Illegal Migrants Dies Of Heart Attack

A New York firefighter, who was laid off to redirect funds to illegal migrants, died of a heart attack April 15, according to the New York Post.

Former New York Fire Department (FDNY) firefighter Derek Floyd, 36, died of a heart attack, four months after his dismissal amid New York City’s budget cuts to address the migrant crisis, New York Post reported. Floyd, a veteran of three Middle East tours with the Marines, is survived by his widow and their two young children.

“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Floyd’s widow, Cristine, told the New York Post. “I think it definitely took a toll once they let him go. He always tried to, like, stay positive about it, and he wasn’t really angry.

Prior to his dismissal, Floyd worked on modified duty in the FDNY’s chaplain’s office, organizing funerals for fallen firefighters. A 2019 heart attack during his time at the Fire Academy had confined him to desk duty, the outlet reported. Despite efforts to return to active duty, his termination occurred just as he was nearing eligibility for over $600,000 in medical and death benefits for his family.

NYC firefighter dies of heart attack after being fired to pay for migrants — leaving his family with nothing https://t.co/yplOo0Csp9 pic.twitter.com/Snv1TRXECx

— New York Post (@nypost) April 28, 2024

“If Derek would have stayed on, he would have had a life insurance policy with the FDNY,” Cristine added. “That would have helped out financially because right now, it’s really bad. I’m honestly swimming in a lot of debt.”

Floyd secured a job at a nonprofit for veterans after his dismissal, but it paid much less and offered limited benefits, worsening the couple’s financial strain, the New York Post reported. Floyd’s dismissal was reportedly part of a city initiative to cut the FDNY‘s budget by $74 million by 2025 to redirect funds to migrant services. The plan also reportedly reduces budgets for the NYPD, the Department of Education and the Department of Sanitation. (RELATED: NYC Teachers Union Sues Eric Adams Over Budget Cuts)

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, condemned the city’s decision.

“What disturbs me the most is that the FDNY is understaffed by hundreds of firefighters. Terminating [Floyd] was absolutely unnecessary,” Ansbro told the outlet. “He had an important job, and the FDNY actually needed him in that unit. He was terminated so the department could prove that they were making cuts. He deserved better.”