Illinois NAACP president faces backlash after referring to migrants as ‘savages’

The Illinois NAACP president is facing backlash after she referred to migrants as “savages” in a Tuesday meeting with NAACP leaders from around the state.

Teresa Haley was reportedly responding to a question from a participant in a Zoom call when she spoke about migrants arriving in Chicago who are living on the street. She said Black people have been in similar predicaments for a long time and no one cared, ABC 7 reported.

“These immigrants have come over here, they’re raping people, they’ve been breaking into homes, they’re like savages as well. They don’t speak the language, and they look at us like we were crazy,” Haley said in the video, obtained by the local news outlet.

She has faced criticism and calls for her resignation since the meeting.

The NAACP national office confirmed that Haley has been suspended since Wednesday. 

“As an internal matter, there will be no additional comment at this time,” a spokesperson for the national office said in a statement. “The NAACP will continue to foster an environment that is reflective of our mission and respective of our membership.”

In a press conference Thursday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said her remarks were “reprehensible” and hoped she would apologize.

“I also think that people should recognize that immigrants to this country are all around us,” he said.

ABC 7 said it reached out to Haley, who was in Dubai on vacation, and she denied making the remarks. She suggested the video was fake and that “anything is possible” with artificial intelligence.

Patrick Watson said he resigned from his position as the DuPage County NAACP branch president over Haley’s comments. He called for her resignation and said someone who holds those thoughts against migrant communities is “unfit” to be the state’s NAACP president.

Michael Childress, Watson’s successor, said Watson was suspended by Haley earlier this year after a run-in.

He claimed that Haley’s comments were taken out of context and are not indicative of what the organization stands for.

Childress added that despite Haley’s comments, she has a track record of positive work for the organization.

Updated at 3:08 p.m.