Rep. Clay Higgins sparked outrage after he called Haitian migrants “criminals” and accused them of eating pets and practicing “vudu.”
The Louisiana congressmen described Haitians as “slapstick gangsters” in a now-deleted tirade on X, prompting calls from his colleagues to censure him.
In the post, Higgins reiterated Donald Trump’s debunked claims that Haitian immigrants were eating their neighbors’ pets.
“These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, the filthiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters,” Higgins said in the post on X.
‘All those criminals need to keep their wits about them and leave our country before January 20, Inauguration Day.’
Far-right Republican U.S. Congressman Clay Higgins is facing calls to censure him on Wednesday after he repeated false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
The lawmaker posted, and later deleted, a message repeating Trump’s false claim that Haitian immigrants have eaten their neighbors’ pets and urging them to leave the country
Similar false statements by Trump have been repeatedly debunked, only leading to more threats and insults against the Haitian community.
Higgins, a staunch Trump supporter, has expressed conspiracy theories in the past. He deleted the post after both Democrats and Republicans confronted him on the House floor.
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford condemned Higgins’ comments as inciting hate and vowed to come up with a solution to censor Higgins for the tweet.
“These words in an official post do not reflect credibly on the House,” Horsford said. “In fact, they sow hatred. They sow fear, and that is why it is time for this body to stand up with one voice and ensure that there is accountability.”
Florida Republican Byron Donalds later confronted Higgins, saying, “He and I had a conversation about it. I told him what I thought about it. I didn’t think it was a good explanation. I thought he should take it down.”
Steve Scalise, chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party and House Majority Leader, defended Higgins by saying his tweet had already been deleted.
The House then recessed without taking immediate action.
Later on Wednesday evening, Higgins appeared to stand by his earlier comments, even though he had taken them offline.
“I can make another controversial post tomorrow if you want. I mean, we have freedom of speech. I say what I want,” he said CNN.
“It’s not that big of a deal to me. It’s like having something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and get on with my life,” Higgins continued.
Officials from the city of Springfield and the state of Ohio have repeatedly debunked the false claim, but Trump has doubled down and vowed to try to deport members of the community.
The majority of the 15,000 Haitian-Americans in Springfield are legal residents of the U.S. thanks to a federal program that allows them to remain in the country temporarily.
The head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, condemned Higgins’ comments as inciting hatred
Trump said they were “eating pets” in Springfield, Ohio, an unsubstantiated claim that first surfaced on social media and was brought up during his presidential campaign with Kamala Harris
Clay Higgins threatened Haitian community in racist social media post
The Haitian community is facing a wave of racist violence after Trump and his running mate Senator JD Vance falsely claimed that Haitians eat pets.
Higgins was responding to a report that a nonprofit representing the Haitian community has invoked the right of private citizens to file charges against Trump and Vance, which is allowed under Ohio law.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance filed the lawsuit because of the chaos and threats that Springfield and for spreading the rumor about eating pets.
Higgins’ office did not respond to a request for comment on the post and its subsequent removal.
Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, called Higgins’ post “despicable, racist and beneath the dignity” of the House of Representatives in a statement.
“Clay Higgins’s abhorrent statements about the Haitian community are disgusting, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives,” Jeffries said.
“He must be held accountable for conduct unbecoming of a Member of Congress. Clay Higgins is an election-denying, conspiracy theory-spreading, racist firebrand who is a disgrace to the House of Representatives.”
But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson quickly came to his defense, emphasizing that Higgins regretted his message.
“Clay Higgins is a good friend of mine and a colleague from Louisiana and a very outspoken and outspoken person. He is also a man of great principle.”
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He praised Higgins for removing the post, saying, “He prayed about it, and he regretted it and he took it down. That’s what you expect from a gentleman. I’m sure he regrets some of the language he used, but you know, we’re moving forward. We believe in redemption here.”
Higgins was ‘spoken to in the workplace by colleagues who said this was offensive.
“He said he went back, prayed about it, and was sorry, and he tore the pole down.”
Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost criticized Higgins over X: “One of the most racist and intolerant posts I’ve ever seen from a member of Congress. And from his official government account. Disgusting.”
Since his election to Congress in 2016, Higgins has regularly courted controversy through social media posts. In 2020, for example, he made a Facebook post promising to “drop off” armed protesters “where they stand.”
Recently, he has spread a number of MAGA conspiracy theories, including that the January 6 attack on the Capitol was orchestrated by the FBI.
In 1992, Higgins was a perpetrator of anti-black racism while serving as a military policy officer in the Army, describing former KKK grand wizard David Duke as “a buddy” during Duke’s failed presidential campaign.
“Given that David is a homeboy and all that, the kid is a Nazi, and that’s a big problem,” Higgins told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Since Trump made the false accusations during a debate with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, his presidential rival on Nov. 5, Springfield has faced a wave of bomb threats to schools and other institutions.
