Rubio spokesman declines to condemn slush funds for left-wing pro-illegal alien groups

thisistwitchy | 8:04 PM on May 05, 2013

Former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey blew the whistle on the existence of the slush funds two weeks ago:

The nation’s dysfunctional immigration laws need reforming. But the Senate bill unveiled last week would explode the number of people on food stamps and Obamacare. Shockingly, the bill also would put left-wing community organizations in charge of educating immigrants about citizenship — a blatant attempt to herd future voters into the Democratic Party. Senators John McCain and Marco Rubio, two Republicans pressing for passage of this bill, haven’t mentioned these shenanigans. Have they even read the bill?

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Sections 2106, 2534, 2535, and 2536 put community organizations in charge of educating immigrants about citizenship and American principles. Indoctrination on the merits of a welfare state is more like it. On a smaller scale, this has been going on since 2009. Past grant recipients included One America, a Seattle group that agitates for LGBT and immigrant rights, and Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, which claims to “build political power through citizenship drives and voter registration.”

The Center for Immigration Studies notes that “There are no limits to the amount of money that may be given out to pro-amnesty groups” and does not include any audit or oversight provision:

Considering that millions of dollars will go to groups like La Raza, Casa de Maryland, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, it’s not surprising that these groups are cheerleaders for the Schumer-Rubio bill.

There’s nothing about this on Rubio’s “Myth vs. Fact” page, perhaps a tacit admission that the allegations made by McCaughey and CIS are true.

When contacted by FoxNews.com, Sen. Rubio’s press secretary, Alex Conant, did not condemn the slush funds. He did not say his boss would endeavor to get those provisions removed from the bill. Instead, he emphasized the importance of assimilation:

“Everybody wants to make sure that immigrants assimilate, and our proposal makes sure that they do by mandating that they speak English, pass civic tests and have jobs,” Alex Conant, a spokesman for Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, told FoxNews.com. “This bill is the start of the process, and we welcome suggestions for how it can be improved — especially when it comes to insuring (sic) that taxpayer dollars are not wasted.”