Rep. Clay Higgins deleted a social media post Wednesday calling Haitian immigrants “thugs” following condemnation from many of his colleagues.

House Democrats attempted Wednesday to quickly censure a Republican congressman who slandered Haitian immigrants in a post he made on social media, but GOP leadership stamped out the effort. Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana described Haitians in racist terms Wednesday afternoon,

The Republican congressman has been criticized for amplifying false claims about Haitian immigrants. "You never want to intentionally hurt someone’s feelings," he apologized in part on Thursday.