Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) speaks to members of the House Freedom Caucus during a press conference on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on July 14, 2023 in Washington, DC

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Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins on Thursday retracted comments about Haitian immigrants in a since-deleted social media post.

“You never want to intentionally hurt someone’s feelings, and this post was intended for Haitian gangs, you understand?” Higgins, a Republican, told reporters according to The Hill. “I mean, not for Haiti as a country, not at all. And the unintended impact that one of my colleagues expressed very sincerely and kindly touched me as a gentleman.”

NPR contacted Higgins’ office for comment but did not receive a response.

Higgins has received backlash in recent days for amplifying false claims about Haitians eating pets and calling them “thugs” in response to an Associated Press report. The news organization reported that the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit group that supports Haitians, is filing criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance.

“Lol. These Haitians are wild. “Pet food, Vudu, the worst country in the Western Hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damn if they don’t all feel sophisticated now and press charges against our President and Vice President,” Higgins wrote on his official account on X. “All these thugs had better get their act together before January 20th and get out of our country.”

When asked about his comments on CNN later Wednesday, Higgins defended the tweet.

“It’s all true,” Higgins said. according to the news organization. “I can post another controversial post tomorrow if you want. I mean, we have freedom of speech. I’ll say whatever I want.”

The Congressional Black Caucus condemned his comments on Wednesday and introduced a resolution to censure Higgins.

“Calling Haiti the ‘nastiest country in the Western Hemisphere’ and denigrating Haitians in vile and demeaning terms contradicts a fundamental principle of our country: that America is a nation of immigrants where all are welcome,” the organization said in a statement faction. “Every member of Congress must understand that we must eliminate hate in all its forms. It is time to end this pattern of vilification and vitriol against immigrants for political reasons.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters during a news conference Wednesday that Higgins was approached by members of Congress about the post and retracted it, saying the lawmaker “regrets” what he posted.

“Clay Higgins is a dear friend of mine and a colleague from Louisiana and a very open and outspoken person. He is also a very principled man. I think – I didn’t even see it – but he tweeted something about Haitians today. And he was approached at the scene by colleagues who said it was offensive,” Johnson told reporters. “I was just talking to him about it, he said he went back and prayed about it and he regretted it. And he pulled down the post. That’s what you expect from a gentleman. I’m sure he probably regrets some of the language he used. But you know, we’re moving forward. We believe in redemption here.”