Black Caucus chair moves to force censure vote on Rep. Higgins for Haitian social post

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., on Wednesday introduced a privileged resolution on the House floor to censure Rep. Clay Higgins. R-La., over his now-deleted post on X in which he called Haitians "thugs" and called Haiti the "nastiest country in the western hemisphere."

Higgins was apparently reacting to reports that the leader of a nonprofit representing the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, who invoked a citizen's right to file charges against Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, over threats and disruptions the city has experienced since Trump and Vance spread unsubstantiated claims about legal immigrants there.

"Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, 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," Higgins wrote. "All these thugs better get their mind right and their a-- out of our country before January 20th."

Trump claimed in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris that Haitian migrants in Springfield were eating residents' pets and animals from city parks. The city's 15,000 Haitian immigrants -- most of them who are in the country legally -- have filled manufacturing, distribution and warehouse jobs but have put a strain on the city's resources.

In the wake of Trump's comments, the city has received more than two dozen bomb threats that have caused evacuations of schools and government buildings. The state has sent in additional state troopers and installed surveillance cameras to deal with the threats.

By its rules, the House must take up a privileged resolution within two legislative days, but that won't happen until after the November election when the House returns from a long recess.

Horsford spoke on the House floor on Wednesday and said Higgins' post was inciting "hate and fear."

House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about the post after votes on Wednesday and called Higgins a friend "and a very frank and outspoken person. He's also a very principled man."

"He was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive,' Johnson continued. "He went to the back. I just talked to him about it. He said he went to the back and he prayed about it, and he regretted it, and he pulled the post down. That's what you want the 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."

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a statement, wrote: "The disgusting statement by Clay Higgins about the Haitian community is vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives. He must be held accountable for dishonorable conduct that is unbecoming of a Member of Congress."

"Clay Higgins is an election-denying, conspiracy-peddling racial arsonist who is a disgrace to the People's House. This is who they have become. Republicans are the party of Donald Trump, Mark Robinson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Clay Higgins and Project 2025. The extreme MAGA Republicans are unfit to govern."

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he spoke to Higgins and urged him to take the post down.

"Clay and I had a conversation about it, and I said I think it's a bad statement – you should take it down," Donalds said. "He came back a minute or two later and said he was going to remove it," he said.

Horsford's team told ABC News on Thursday that he joined a conversation between Higgins and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, whose parents are from Haiti, and other members and told Higgins why he considered why he considered the post to be hateful and asked him to take it down. Higgins initially refused, Horsford's team said, and Horsford told Higgins if he wouldn't, he would proceed with a censure resolution.

Between that time of that conversation and Horsford moving for the censure resolution, Higgins took the post down.

Higgins told ABC News on Thursday that he took the post down "because I hurt the young lady's feelings and that touched me. You know, you never want to intentionally hurt someone's feelings. That post was intended for Haitian gangs.”

"Haiti is a country, not a color," he added. "The unintended impact, and that was expressed to me sincerely from my colleagues and very graciously, that touched me as a gentleman. I prayed about it and very, very quickly took the post down.”

Cherfilus-McCormick told ABC News on Thursday, “I needed him to put a face to the names that he's calling and the comments that he's making. It's easy for you to make all these accusations, but it's harder to look someone in the face and say, you know, I'm OK with putting you, your family, at risk."

"There was a part when, I think, when I spoke to him, that he actually realized it's different to see someone face to face, and you saw, like his face change, like there's a position of, 'Oh, wow. I didn't expect this,'" Cherfilus-McCormick said. "I thought it was extremely important to face him eye to eye and say, 'You know, I am the person you hurt when you say these things. And you know, I can see in his face that something clicked,"

Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost said he believes the post breaks the House code because it came from Higgins' House social media account.

"It's completely disgusting," Frost said. "And a racist and bigoted tweet and I think it shows a lot about the Republican Party – the Republican conference – that they can't just step up say, 'You know what? That is wrong that he shouldn't have posted it," but yet their best defense is that he deleted the tweet."

Donalds and congressional sources said a group of Democratic CBC members, including Reps. Frederica Wilson and Sheila Cherfilus McCormick, discussed the tweet with Higgins on the floor.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said she was frustrated that Republicans initially blocked Horsford's motion to censure Higgins.

"It's despicable. It's outrageous, and to see Republicans go along with it means that you're known by the company you keep -- they're complicit in this," Lee said.

Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said she wants Higgins to be punished.

"It was hateful and he meant it," she said, adding, "He needs to be censured."

Higgins told CNN on Wednesday that his post was "free speech."

“It’s all true,” Higgins said. “I can put up another controversial post tomorrow if you want me to. I mean, we do have freedom of speech. I’ll say what I want."

He added: “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.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Higgins, Horsford and Cherfilus-McCormick to ABC News on Thursday.