Republican Rep. Clay Higgins is refusing to apologize for an ugly tweet in which he repeated racist tropes about Haitian immigrants. The far right-wing lawmaker echoed debunked false claims about Haitians and warned them they will face deportation if former President Trump wins the White House. “These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, (voodoo) … cults, slapstick gangsters,” Higgins wrote in a Wednesday afternoon tweet that he later deleted. Higgins appeared to be triggered by a legal complaint that a Haitian community group filed against Trump and running mate JD Vance over their false claims that Haitian immigrants stole and ate pets in Springfield, Ohio. “Damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now filing charges against our president and VP,” Higgins wrote. Neighborhood kids gather to sell Kool-Aid and chips, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Springfield, Ohio. Some were kept home from school because of the bomb threats at their schools, and if that happens again, they plan to be at the corner with Kool-Aid and chips again tomorrow. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) Higgins later told CNN he stood by his demeaning comments even though he deleted it after being confronted by fellow lawmakers at the Capitol. “It’s all true,” Higgins said. “I’ll say what I want.” The outspoken lawmaker compared the criticism to mud or worse: “It’s not a big deal to me. It’s like something stuck to the bottom of my boot. Just scrape it off and move on with my life.” On Thursday, Higgins sought to walk back the sentiment in the post, saying it was intended to refer only to Haitian gang members, even though he referred to a lawsuit that was filed by a community group, not gangs. House Democrats tried to quickly censure Higgins over the post, which echo age-old tropes used against Black people who seek to hold white authorities accountable for racist statements or actions. Rep. Steve Horsford, a Nevada Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus said Higgins’ words “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 there is accountability.” Republicans immediately moved to block the effort from moving forward. Rep. Clay Higgins (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Higgins as a “dear friend” and “a very principled man.” Johnson praised Higgins for deleting the post, saying “he prayed about it, and he regretted it and he pulled the post down. That’s what you want a gentleman to do. I’m sure he probably regrets some of the language he used, but, you know, we move forward. We believe in redemption around here.” The dispute over the Higgins tweet is the latest drama to erupt since Vance and Trump repeated the debunked racist claims about Haitians, thousands of whom have recently moved to Springfield, a small city in southwest Ohio. Just this week, Trump told a campaign rally that “you have to get (the Haitians) the hell out,” sparking chants of “send them back.” Despite the threats and insults hurled by Trump and Higgins, the Haitians in Ohio are nearly all legal immigrants who have been allowed to stay in the U.S. after receiving temporary protective status.