Congressman Clay Higgins Faces Backlash Over Social Media Post About Haitians

Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, is currently facing significant backlash following a controversial post he made on social media. On Wednesday, Higgins referred to Haiti as “the nastiest country in the western hemisphere” and suggested that Haitian migrants, predominantly in the United States legally, should “get their ass out of our country.” The comment was made on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and was subsequently deleted after a few hours.

Higgins’ post was reportedly in response to a news story about a Haitian nonprofit group that filed citizen charges against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. The charges were related to comments made during a presidential debate where Trump reportedly accused migrants in Springfield, Ohio, of “eating dogs” and “eating cats,” a claim that has been debunked.

Subodh Chandra, the attorney for the Haitian Bridge Alliance, the nonprofit group involved, criticized Higgins’ post, calling it “not a dog-whistle but the trumpeting of a clear threat.” Chandra argued, “In a functional House of Representatives under a responsible speaker who cares about integrity, this would be addressed swiftly by an Ethics Committee investigation and censure or expulsion.” However, he expressed skepticism about any action being taken, referencing the House majority’s alleged tolerance for such rhetoric.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, also a Republican from Louisiana, referred to Higgins as “a dear friend” and a “very frank and outspoken person.” Johnson confirmed that he had spoken to Higgins, who had prayed and regretted the post, leading to its removal.

Criticism from the opposite side of the political spectrum was swift. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries labeled Higgins’ comments as “vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives,” and called for accountability regarding his conduct. Similarly, Representative Steve Horsford, a Democrat from Nevada, moved to censure Higgins on the House floor, emphasizing the need to end “the rhetoric of hate.”

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a fellow Republican from Louisiana, noted the tweet’s deletion but objected to Horsford’s motion for censure, which was ultimately ruled out of order.

This incident is not isolated in Higgins’ career, as he has a history of inflammatory rhetoric targeting various groups. In 2017, he made a controversial remark about Islamic terrorists in a Facebook post, advocating for aggressive measures against them. Additionally, just last year, Higgins faced criticism for forcibly removing an activist from a news conference, claiming the activist had behaved disruptively and threateningly.