Voto Latino Denounces Hateful Anti-Haitian Rhetoric from Rep. Clay Higgins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 25, 2024
Contact: Diana Castaneda
VP of Communications
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Voto Latino, the leading civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latino voters, today condemned the hateful rhetoric posted online by U.S. Representative Clay Higgins against Haitians. Voto Latino Co-Founder and President María Teresa Kumar issued the following statement:

“Rep. Higgins’ social media post was a vile and racist rant against an entire community,” said Voto Latino Co-Founder and President María Teresa Kumar. “His conduct is an embarrassment to the people of Louisiana, and wholly unacceptable for anyone charged with promoting the good of the American people.

“Most importantly, rhetoric like this is unequivocally dangerous: We know that hate speech of this kind is linked with an increased risk of racist attacks, and Higgins is either willfully ignorant or actively encouraging violence on the Haitian community. At a time when communities of color are already coming under pressure from white nationalist rhetoric, Higgins has further ratcheted up the danger.

“He called law-abiding families ‘thugs’ and told them to get ‘out of our country’ before Trump can come back into power. This is a threat, plain and simple, but it is also a clear signal about what racists and extremists expect for the future under a second Trump term.

“We must not allow that to happen. We must defeat Trump and his MAGA cohort at the ballot box this November. Register to vote, volunteer, and get to the polls – that is how we shut down Higgins and others like him.”

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Voto Latino is a grassroots political organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latino voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered over 1.5 million voters, mobilized tens of thousands of voters in the 2022 midterms, helping to defeat the so-called “red wave” and keep the Senate majority-Democrat. Voto Latino has also filed several lawsuits to defend voting rights in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina ahead of the 2024 election.