{"id":2213591,"date":"2024-04-05T07:30:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T11:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/madison-diverted-700000-in-taxpayer-covid-relief-to-illegal-aliens\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T07:30:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T11:30:42","slug":"madison-diverted-700000-in-taxpayer-covid-relief-to-illegal-aliens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/madison-diverted-700000-in-taxpayer-covid-relief-to-illegal-aliens\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison funneled $700,000 in taxpayer COVID relief funds to undocumented immigrants illegally"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmadison-diverted-700000-in-taxpayer-covid-relief-to-illegal-aliens%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2213591&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A report reveals Madison allocated federal Covid funds to illegal immigrants, sparking demand for accountability from a Wisconsin \u200blawmaker. The decision has \u2064stirred controversy over the city&#8217;s priorities, leading to calls for transparency and \u2064an investigation into the use of pandemic relief money. The allocation of federal Covid funds to illegal immigrants in Madison has sparked calls for accountability from a Wisconsin \u200clawmaker. The decision has ignited controversy over \u2064the city&#8217;s priorities, prompting demands for transparency\u200b and \u2063an investigation into the use of pandemic relief money.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>A Wisconsin lawmaker is demanding answers from the city of Madison in the wake of a <a href=\"https:\/\/reforminggovernment.org\/irgs-cio-uncovered-inappropriate-use-of-federal-covid-funds-by-city-of-madison-senator-stroebel-seeks-answers\/#:~:text=WHAT%20HAPPENED:%20A%20CIO%20discovery,provide%20services%20for%20illegal%20immigrants.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> showing the leftist enclave doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal Covid relief funds to illegal immigrants. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision to use pandemic relief money to assist illegal immigrants at the expense of Wisconsinites reveals the out of touch priorities of Madison politicians,\u201d Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel said Thursday in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2024\/sen-stroebel-governor-evers-vetoes-local-control-and-workforce-relief\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. His office has filed an open records request \u201cto investigate the city\u2019s questionable use\u201d of the federal funds. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1952503895\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0f3de1324cf1d6b46f53ba395a3ac5bc fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0f3de1324cf1d6b46f53ba395a3ac5bc\"><\/div>\n<p>It appears city officials decided to do an end-around with their portion of the nearly $2 trillion in so-called \u201cstimulus\u201d funds that were handed out \u2014 and simultaneously dumped onto the untenable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usdebtclock.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. debt<\/a> \u2014 by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1319\/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)<\/a> in response to the Covid pandemic. <\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Reforming Government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/reforminggovernment.org\/center-for-investigative-oversight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center for Investigative Oversight<\/a> found the city approved $700,000 from its share of <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/coronavirus\/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments\/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF)<\/a> to assist illegal immigrants. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityofmadison.com\/finance\/documents\/PERQuarter42023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Records<\/a> obtained by IRG show the money was handed out to area nonprofits that ultimately provided services to illegal aliens in Madison, \u201cdespite those immigrants being largely ineligible to otherwise receive direct federal or state aid.\u201d  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Funneling Taxpayer Dollars\u2019 <\/h2>\n<p>The records include a document noting the expenditures, and the fact that illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal or state \u201cdirect assistance\u201d under the law. As of the filing, $608,000.24 of the funds had been expended for \u201ceconomic impact assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe project addresses the need to support programming, services and outreach for persons in the community who are undocumented. The pandemic has had a profound impact on undocumented residents particularly around employment and housing,\u201d the city states in its SLRFR compliance report for the fourth quarter of 2023.\u00a0 \u201cThese residents are not eligible, in some cases, to receive direct assistance provided by Federal and State governments, and have been reluctant or unable, in others, to access resources for which they are eligible.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-74827ea989b4b0b9c84fb87c270c95e8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-74827ea989b4b0b9c84fb87c270c95e8\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cFunding will support community partners and provide the means to deliver direct assistance to undocumented individuals and families as they cope with the consequences of COVID-19,\u201d the document continued. \u201cFunds will be allocated to agencies with established relationships with affected communities using a competitive application process. The anticipated contract start date will be March 15, 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The nonprofits involved include <a href=\"https:\/\/risewisconsin.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">RISE Wisconsin Inc<\/a>., the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latinoacademywi.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Latino Academy of Workforce Development<\/a>,\u00a0 and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cilcmadison.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Community Immigration Law Center, <\/a>according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityofmadison.com\/finance\/documents\/PERQuarter42023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">documents<\/a>. CILC is a left-of-center law firm \u201cwhich seeks to prevent deportation of illegal immigrants,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/community-immigration-law-center-cilc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to activist tracker InfluenceWatch. Part of its mission is to work with aligned groups \u201cto promote their immigration policy positions and train activists.\u201d The center is located in Madison\u2019s Christ Presbyterian Church, whose pastor is \u201ca left-of-center activist who has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2023\/wisconsin-faith-voices-for-justice-faith-leaders-support-for-transgender-equality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">publicly endorsed child sex-transition treatments<\/a> and participation by transgender natal males in women\u2019s sports,\u201d according to InfluencWatch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cARPA funding was a vital part of Madison\u2019s response to the Covid pandemic and its wide-reaching impact on our community,\u201d Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway told The Federalist. \u201cWe are proud of the work our community partners did with this funding and the difference that it made for some of our hardest-hit residents and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>All told, the city of Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityofmadison.com\/finance\/documents\/SLFRFRecoveryPlan2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">received<\/a> more than $42 million in State and Local Fiscal Relief Fund money as part of its ARPA share. In July 2021, the Madison Common Council adopted a resolution allocating $22.8 million of that funding \u201cto help support communities within the City that were most impacted by the pandemic,\u201d Deputy Mayor Katie Crawley said in an email response to The Federalist. The remaining $24.4 million was used to maintain government services.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d51308aa1c28082beb66445bdb356180 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d51308aa1c28082beb66445bdb356180\"><\/div>\n<p>Crawley confirmed $700,000 of the funds went to \u201cfantastic community partners\u201d that serve illegal immigrants. She said the city has provided quarterly expenditure reports and annual recovery plans to the U.S. Treasury Department, as required by the law.  She insisted the city\u2019s ARPA expenditures complied with the allowable categories spelled out under the Treasury\u2019s final rule. Such bureaucratic rules often massage, expand, or usurp the original intent of Congress, however. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is troubling to learn that the City of Madison is funneling taxpayer dollars intended to help Wisconsinites to illegal immigrants. Taxpayers need answers,\u201d said Jake Curtis, IRG\u2019s general counsel and director of oversight. \u201cOur team at the Center for Investigative Oversight is committed to working with our state and federal partners to bring to light answers for the hardworking taxpayers of our state.\u201d<em> <\/em> <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Windfall For Illegal Immigrants<\/h2>\n<p>As Fox News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/dem-states-cities-overrun-migrants-funneled-millions-federal-covid-19-aid-support-illegals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> in February, several Democrat-led states handed out more than a half billion dollars of federally funded Covid relief to illegal immigrants. A <a href=\"https:\/\/epicforamerica.org\/blog\/bidenomics-slush-fund-subsidizes-undocumented-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> by the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC)  found Washington state accounted for the majority of the $517 million, issuing payments of $1,000 to illegal aliens to the tune of approximately $340 million. <\/p>\n<p>According to EPIC\u2019s review of U.S. Department of Treasury data, Washington\u2019s federal taxpayer-funded Immigrant Relief Fund provided \u201ca one-time cash grant\u201d of $1,000 \u201cfor each resident of Washington who are at least 18 years of age and are ineligible to receive federal economic impact payments or unemployment insurance benefits due to their immigration status.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis means the Biden Administration directly subsidized \u2018undocumented\u2019 immigration under the guise of COVID-19 pandemic relief,\u201d the center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/epicforamerica.org\/blog\/bidenomics-slush-fund-subsidizes-undocumented-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> states. <\/p>\n<p>Stroebel said Madison\u2019s diversion of pandemic aid to foreign citizens is \u201cjust the latest example of the waste and abuse of federal COVID dollars.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunities across this country are grappling with the consequences of the open border policies of the Biden\/Harris administration. From the <a href=\"https:\/\/immigrationforum.org\/article\/illicit-fentanyl-and-drug-smuggling-at-the-u-s-mexico-border-an-overview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rise in fentanyl seizures<\/a> at the southern border to the <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/how-the-border-crisis-hit-a-small-wisconsin-town\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overwhelming of school services in Whitewater<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/02\/25\/us-news\/family-of-slain-nursing-student-laken-riley-breaks-their-silence-an-amazing-daughter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tragic murder of Laken Riley<\/a> in Georgia, the immigration crisis is something that is impacting every state, including Wisconsin,\u201d the senator said. \u201cThe decision to use pandemic relief money to assist illegal immigrants at the expense of Wisconsinites reveals the out of touch priorities of Madison politicians.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Accountability<\/h2>\n<p>Will anybody ever be held accountable for the misuse of so much money? Probably not. <\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, <a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/release\/wenstrup-calls-out-treasury-for-enabling-misuse-of-covid-19-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in August that the $350 billion State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds program, \u201clike many other Covid relief programs \u2014 possessed very few common-sense restrictions that could have protected the American taxpayer.\u201d The Ohio Republican noted reports of the funds being used to replace golf course irrigation systems, boost prize winnings for horse racing competitors, and to create a \u201cracial equity\u201d commission in Providence, Rhode Island.<\/p>\n<p>And the beat goes on. Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza marked $10 million from the $166 million the Rhode Island city received in ARPA funds for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.providenceri.gov\/city-proposes-increased-partnership-with-united-way-of-rhode-island-advancing-covid-19-equities-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Covid-19 Equities Program<\/a>, aka reparations initiative, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.browndailyherald.com\/article\/2023\/12\/city-increases-funding-for-united-way-to-support-racial-equity-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> The Brown Daily Herald. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, politicians in leftist-led cities and states that are begging for federal funds to clean up President Joe Biden\u2019s border mess are boasting about the Covid relief money they used to subsidize illegal immigration. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund was highly publicized and repeatedly funded by the Legislature,\u201d Mike Faulk, a spokesman for liberal Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/dem-states-cities-overrun-migrants-funneled-millions-federal-covid-19-aid-support-illegals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> Fox News. \u201cIt ran from 2020 to 2023. Folks would do well to familiarize themselves with the disparate health impacts that faced communities of color and immigrants during the pandemic. All Washingtonians were impacted by COVID regardless of where they came from, and our state was proud to help as many of our residents as possible during an unprecedented disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, who represents Wisconsin\u2019s 1st Congressional District, told The Federalist that the potential misuse of taxpayer money is one of the many reasons he voted against the so-called American Rescue Plan. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe massive spending package President Biden signed into law allowed for lump sums of money to be given to various governments without defining clear requirements for the usage of taxpayer dollars,\u201d Steil said. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7360a14249f2e42adde4a4a25f797483 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7360a14249f2e42adde4a4a25f797483\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Wisconsin lawmaker seeks clarity from Madison after a report revealed the city allocated federal Covid funds to undocumented immigrants. Criticizing the decision to aid illegal immigrants over Wisconsinites, the lawmaker presses for accountability<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2213592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Madison.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2213591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Madison.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2213591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2213591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2213592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2213591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2213591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2213591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}