INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Democrats on Friday said Micah Beckwith’s comments about Haitian refugees will lead to people getting hurt or worse.

Beckwith, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, on Thursday told a Fort Wayne radio talk show Haitian refugees in Logansport are draining the town’s resources and making it impossible for officials there to serve the needs of citizens who already live there.

“This is an invasion. This is not immigration,” Beckwith said. “This is something that needs to be addressed, both on the county level and on the state level because the federal government is not doing its job. And what happens is with these TPS, temporary status licenses that these people are given, they will run out, that time will expire, and who’s going to come and get them?”

Beckwith did not offer any examples, numbers or other evidence to back up his claims. His comments followed a contentious city council meeting in Logansport on Monday night in which residents, after days of rumors circulating on social media, demanded city officials focus on their own needs over those of refugees.

In Thursday’s comments, Beckwith also said, “We do not want multiculturalism, we want assimilation into the American way of life, and if you will not do that, then you do not belong here, so we are going to find you and we are going to remove you.”

Beckwith is the latest Republican candidate for office to amplify baseless claims about Haitian refugees admitted under Temporary Protected Status. Former President Donald Trump thrust the Haitian-American community into the spotlight last month when he claimed during a nationally-televised debate, also without offering any evidence, Haitian refugees in Springfield, Ohio were eating household pets. Those comments resulted in bomb threats and other actions against Haitians there, prompting Gov. Mike DeWine to send state troopers to protect schools in the town. Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, doubled down on those claims even as the backlash built.

Dana Black, former director of engagement for the Indiana Democratic Party and an All INdiana Politics contributor, said she wonders whether Beckwith is trying to put people in danger

“If you cannot see individuals for who they are, as they exist in the body that they exist in, you should not be a representative of a community,” she said. “If you cannot see people as whole, just as they are, then you should not be allowed to have the privilege to be an elected official in our state.”

Beckwith’s opponent, Democratic candidate Terry Goodin, blasted Beckwith’s comments in a statement Friday afternoon.

“Micah Beckwith’s fear-mongering, racism, and hateful tactics harm our communities. Instead of driving people apart, we should welcome diversity and unity. I’ve read my Bible from cover to cover, yet I have no idea what hymnal Micah is singing from because his god sure isn’t the God I know. The God I know welcomes all people; the God I know doesn’t demonize and divide.”

“Let’s be clear: Micah Beckwith is a self-proclaimed white Christian nationalist, which means he believes you must be white, you must be what he thinks it means to be a Christian, and you must be a man if you ever hope to be protected by the government. That is not what any version of the Bible teaches, and the theory of white Christian nationalism is morally bankrupt.”

Terry Goodin, (D) Candidate for lieutenant governor

Goodin sent several Bible verses along with his statement, including Leviticus 19:33-34, which reads. “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

Late Friday afternoon, Beckwith’s prospective boss, Republican candidate for governor Mike Braun, defended Beckwith’s comments.

“The Biden-Harris open border that Jennifer McCormick endorsed is tearing our country apart, and those who have entered our country illegally must be deported. If federal government programs bring legal migrants with a temporary status to our small towns, then they should provide resources and be transparent so our local communities aren’t overwhelmed. As Governor I will stand up for our Hoosiers against bad immigration policy that is burdening our communities unlike liberal Democrat Jennifer McCormick.”

Mike Braun, (R) Candidate for governor