Republican US Lawmaker Higgins Faces Backlash for False Claim About Haitian Americans – Reuters

By Bo Erickson and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON – Republican U.S. Representative Clay Higgins is facing calls for censure following repeated false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which were condemned by the head of the Congressional Black Caucus as inciting hate.

Democratic Representative Steven Horsford urged for Higgins’ censure after the Louisiana lawmaker shared, and later retracted, a post repeating unfounded accusations originally attributed to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. These accusations claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield had been consuming their neighbors’ pets and demanded that they leave the country.

"These words on an official post do not reflect credibly on the House," Horsford stated. "In fact, they are inciting hate. They are inciting fear, and because of that, it is time for this body to stand with one voice and to ensure that there is accountability."

Following this, the House went into recess without taking any immediate action.

City and state officials in Springfield have consistently debunked these false assertions, yet Trump has persisted, promising to attempt to deport members of this community, despite the fact that most of the 15,000 Haitian Americans in Springfield are legally residing in the U.S.

In a now-deleted post on social media, Higgins had said, "These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th," referring to Inauguration Day.

Higgins’ office has not responded to requests for comments regarding the original post or its deletion.

Since Trump made these claims during a debate against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, Springfield has experienced a surge of bomb threats targeting schools and other institutions.

Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries criticized Higgins’ remarks as "vile, racist, and beneath the dignity" of the House.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that Higgins later expressed regret about his post. Johnson said, "He was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive. He said he went to the back and prayed about it, and he regretted it, and he pulled the post down."