Donald Trump’s campaign promoted the false idea that Haitian immigrants were stealing pets to feed them.
Donald Trump’s campaign team, including his running mate JD Vance and even Senator Ted Cruz, stirred controversy on social media by falsely promoting claims that a group of Haitian immigrants was stealing cats to eat them.
As part of the anti-immigrant narrative pushed by Republicans and in the heated competition ahead of the November presidential election, conservatives picked up on a rumor from a Facebook group in Springfield, Ohio. The post claimed that a Haitian immigrant had allegedly been caught about to cook a neighbor’s cat for consumption.
It also suggested that other pets were being stolen for the same purpose.
This rumor emerged amid the presence of a significant number of Haitians in the city, who are receiving legal assistance under the Immigrant Parole Program as they seek temporary protected status.
In response to this situation and in opposition to immigration, Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas posted a meme on his social media showing two kittens hugging. The controversy arose when he added the caption: “Please vote for Trump so the Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”
JD Vance also posted a video of one of his recent speeches in Ohio, where he discussed immigration and the alleged practices some foreign individuals resort to for food due to a lack of resources and jobs.
“The reports show that there are people who have kidnapped and eaten pets, and those people should not be in this country. Where is our border czar?” he stated.
To add to the controversy, one of the accounts linked to Donald Trump’s campaign shared a message on the platform X, referencing the same alleged problem caused by Caribbean immigrants.
“President Trump will deport immigrants who eat pets. Kamala Harris will send them to your town next. Make your choice, America,” the post read.
However, a spokesperson for the city of Springfield debunked all the Republican claims.
“There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
