Hanson Joins Colleagues in Rebuking Hateful Rhetoric During Trump Official Visit

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Alongside legislative colleagues and advocates, State Rep. Matt Hanson rallied outside the State Capitol Wednesday in opposition to Trump Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as she used a stop in Springfield as an opportunity to criticize Illinois residents and push the extreme and unconstitutional agenda of Trump’s administration.

“The difference between right and wrong, when you stop and think about it, is usually pretty simple—and in this case it’s extremely simple,” Hanson said. “Everyone matters, every life merits respect and dignity, and trampling on the Constitution that Americans of every ethnicity, culture and national origin have bled to defend in order to whitewash and selectively edit not just our history, but our communities in real time, is an absolute disgrace.”

Noem is on a national tour doing damage control as Trump and his extremist regime face outrage and condemnation from all sides amid their ongoing campaign of partisan retaliation, corruption, obstruction and reactionary bigotry.

Hanson and his colleagues refused to let Noem muddy the waters with a propaganda narrative, taking turns to rebuke her for her stunt.

Members also took strong exception to Noem’s choice of venue—outside the home of Emma Schafer, a Capitol staffer and community organizer who was murdered in 2023. Noem ignored the wishes of Schafer’s parents and sought to connect her murder to the immigration status of her former boyfriend and suspected killer—a move which has brought near- universal disgust and condemnation.

“Once again, for what seems like the millionth time in just the last few months, we see Donald Trump and his administration exposed for what they are—heartless bullies who don’t care who gets hurt as long as they can keep pushing their agenda,” Hanson said. “Whether it’s sending U.S. citizens and legal residents to foreign prison camps, talking openly about military aggression against our allies, trampling on our Constitution and our laws, or using the murder of someone’s daughter to justify cruelty, bigotry and hatred, there’s just no limit to how low they’ll sink. That’s why I’m proud to stand in solidarity with my colleagues as we shove back against their total lack of decency. Illinois doesn’t take this kind of thing sitting down, and I won’t either.”