Congressman Clay Higgins (R) represents Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District
Lafayette Congressman Clay Higgins is coming under fire for a post on X he made about Haitians.
After a Haitian nonprofit sued Former President Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance over their claims of them eating pets, Higgins repeated that claim in his post.
His post read, “Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu (sic), nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters … but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their a– out of our country before Jan. 20.”
Trump and Vance have repeatedly made baseless claims about migrants in Springfield, Ill., eating their pets.
Those claims have led to bomb threats and school evacuations in Illinois’ capital city.
“He’s unfiltered and he certainly says what is on his mind,” says ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross. “And in parts of Louisiana, apparently the 3rd District, that kind of frankness gets you rewarded, because he’s been re-elected by wide margins.”
Democrats, including Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-4), have called on the House to censure Higgins.
“His comments were incendiary, but it’s unclear if he’ll pay any price whatsoever,” says Cross. “Republican leadership is not going to be looking to censure one of their own members when, in fact, the vice president (nominee) from their party is kind of on record as saying similar statements about Haitians, at least in regard to how they treat their dogs and cats.”
Cross says Higgins displayed this kind of behavior even before he was elected to Congress.
“He broke on the scene with Crime Stoppers (while with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office), making his reputation as someone who was willing to call out thugs and say all kinds of crazy things in front of a camera.”
Even though Higgins has deleted the post, he told CNN that he does not regret his comments.
“It’s all true,” Higgins told CNN. “I can put up another controversial post tomorrow if you want me to. I mean, we have freedom of speech. I’ll say what I want.”
But hours later, Higgins appeared to walk back those comments when talking to reporters at the Capitol.
“You never want to intentionally hurt someone’s feelings, and that post was intended for Haitian gangs, you understand? Haiti is a country, not a color,” Higgins told reporters. “The unintended impact that was expressed very sincerely from one of my colleagues very graciously, that touched me as a gentleman.
“I went and prayed about and very very quickly was clear in my heart to take the post down, responding to my inner gentleman,” Higgins continued.
Cross says the whole controversy will likely fade into oblivion like they always do.
“It’s very likely this will face into obscurity, like all the other comments,” says Cross.
“I’ve taken two posts down in eight years,” Higgins told reporters. “That’s not a bad record around here.”
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