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A Republican congressman faced heavy criticism after he wrote a “racist” online post calling Haitian immigrants “slapstick gangsters” who ate pets and performed “vudu.”

Numerous people, including members of the House of Representatives, condemned Louisiana Representative Clay Higgins for his post in response to news that citizen complaints had been filed against Donald Trump and JD Vance in Springfield.

“Lol. These Haitians are wild,” Higgins wrote in response to an Associated Press article about the allegations.

“Eating pets, Vudu, the worst country in the Western Hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damn if they don’t feel all cultured right now and bring charges against our President and Vice President. All these gangsters better get their heads together and get their asses out of our country before January 20th.”

January 20 is the date on which the next president will be sworn in.

Higgins later deleted the post after several people complained about it, including fellow congressman and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus in the House Steven Horsford, who filed a censure against Higgins for “bringing disrepute and shame to the House of Representatives.”

Horsford said Higgins’ words “incite hatred, they incite fear and that is why it is time for this body to speak with one voice and ensure that those responsible are held to account.”

Spokesman Mike Johnson later defended Higgins, whom he described as “one of my dear friends,” telling reporters that Higgins “prayed for” the post and then “regretted it.”

“He was approached on the dance floor by colleagues who called it offensive. He said he went to the back and prayed and he regretted it and pulled the post down,” Johnson said.

“I’m sure he probably regrets the words he used. But you know, we move on. We believe in redemption here.”

Despite the quick deletion, X users also responded to the original post, including CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who mentioned Higgins’ previous support of notorious former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke for governor in 1992.

“By the way, yes, it’s 2024 and members of Congress still say things like this out loud!” Tapper wrote. “No dog whistle here – this is a full-fledged megaphone,” another user wrote.

“I thought this was fake, I had to check it myself and he posted this from his official government account,” another user added.

With his tweet, Higgins responded to a report that a nonprofit organization representing the Haitian community had exercised a private citizen’s right to file charges against Donald Trump and JD Vance.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance has been accusing Springfield of chaos and threats since Trump first spread false claims about legal immigrants during a presidential debate. Vance, his Republican running mate, also repeated the slander and even seemed to suggest he felt justified in “making up” negative stories about immigrants.

Trump has also announced plans to deport immigrants like those from Springfield who entered the country legally under a federal program that allows them temporary residency in the country.