press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Contact: Denzel McCampbell, denzel@progressmichigan.org

Maddock Tweet & MIGOP Leadership Spread Lies About Immigration

Rep. Maddock’s recent tweet shows truth is no barrier to Republican fear-mongering

MICHIGAN – On Wednesday, Representative Matt Maddock posted a tweet asserting that several buses at the Detroit airport were transporting undocumented immigrants. The buses actually appear to have been for Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team, which landed in Detroit for March Madness shortly before Maddock posted the tweet. 

“A lot of people are making fun of Maddock for this, but it’s important to acknowledge the dangerous rhetoric he used while spreading his misinformation,” said Sam Inglot, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Maddock and so many Republicans across the country are carelessly using militaristic language to describe an already-marginalized group of people. This type of dehumanization inevitably leads to violence and we cannot let Republicans get away with using it to divide our communities and put people in danger.” 

Progress Michigan has previously called on Michigan Republican leadership to respond to this type of dangerous extremist rhetoric, most recently in the case of Rep. Josh Schriver spreading white supremacist conspiracy theories. 

“Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra carelessly retweeted Maddock’s misinformation and dangerous language,” Inglot continued. “And based on Minority Leader Matt Hall’s lukewarm response to Schriver and his own history of spreading hate and disinformation about the LGBTQ+ community, we doubt he’ll hold Maddock accountable. The Michigan Republican Party is so far down the MAGA fear-mongering rabbit hole that they seem incapable of doing anything except spreading hatred about marginalized groups in their effort to get political power.”

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