Madison‚ Wisconsin‚ used taxpayer dollars earmarked for the city';s emergency COVID-19 relief response to fund services for illegal migrants‚ according to a recent probe conducted by the Institute for Reforming Government';s Center for Investigative Oversight.The IRG';s report‚ released Thursday‚ revealed that the city approved ";a $700‚000 budget for ';Services to Residents who are Undocumented‚';"; read a letter from state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R) to the city.The funds were a part of the city';s State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds‚ which received funds from the federal government';s American Rescue Plan Act to aid with the public health emergency. The taxpayer money was ";intended to help residents recover from the pandemic‚"; the IRG noted. Instead‚ 10% of the SLFRF funds went to organizations providing services to illegal migrants‚ the investigation revealed.The city reportedly approved the funds in the fourth quarter of 2023. ";This earmark for illegal immigrants is alarming since you point out these individuals would normally be ';ineligible'; for ';direct assistance'; in many cases‚"; Stroebel';s letter to the city continued.The state senator requested additional information regarding the redirected COVID relief funds‚ including a list of grant applications received by the city‚ a list of grant applications that were denied‚ and ";a breakdown of what the $700‚000 of grants were used for (i.e. direct cash assistance‚ gas cards‚ utility assistance‚ legal representation‚ etc.).";Stroebel requested a time estimate regarding his open-records request.In a Thursday post on X‚ Stroebel noted that according to Madison';s fourth-quarter report‚ the ";pandemic funding could be used to pay for utility bills‚ gas cards‚ and more.";";It';s insane that‚ at a time when Wisconsinites are struggling to keep up with inflation‚ that taxpayer dollars are being used to help illegal immigrants pay their bills‚"; he added. Per Madison\u2019s Q4 report‚ pandemic funding could be used to pay for utility bills‚ gas cards‚ and more. \n\nIt\u2019s insane that‚ at a time when Wisconsinites are struggling to keep up with inflation‚ that taxpayer dollars are being used to help illegal immigrants pay their bills. (@) ";Hardworking Wisconsin taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent‚"; the IRG stated. ";They especially deserve to know how sending tax dollars to provide services to illegal immigrants in 2024 was ';necessary'; in response to and recovery from the ';COVID-19 public health emergency'; of 2020. It is unclear how grants to local nonprofits for ';Services to Residents who are Undocumented'; nearly five years following the pandemic meets the intent of the program.";United States Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) called the investigation';s discovery ";another example of the Biden admin and Democrats WASTING and ABUSING your tax dollars.";Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!