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United States of America (USA)
As Democrats tangle over the re-election prospects in the upcoming presidential polls, the Republicans along with allies are training some of their most intense criticism on Kamala Harris, the nominee of Democrats for the presidential race. Several prominent Republicans, including the party’s vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, promoted the controversial campaign on Monday that Haitian migrants in Ohio are killing and eating family pets.
The rumour centred on the Ohio city of Springfield, which has experienced a surge in recent migration from Haitians seeking to escape a Caribbean country that has been rocked by years of natural disasters, political assassinations and gang rule has now gone viral on social media platforms X, with Vance and Musk pushing criticism against Hariss’ policy of ‘border czar.’
Vance, the Republican senator for Ohio, said, “Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
Elon Musk, who embraced the campaign and posted several memes that promoted them, shared an AI-generated image of Trump hugging a duck and kitten and captioned it, “Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!”
Where It All Started? Digging Its Root
The viral rumour spread widely after a Springfield Facebook group claimed that a neighbour’s daughter’s friend found their missing cat hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbour’s home, and it was being prepped to be eaten, reported Springfield News-Sun.
“President Trump will deport migrants who eat pets,” a Trump campaign account posted to X. “Kamala Harris will send them to your town next. Make your choice, America.”
Pushing the campaign further against Democrats, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posted a meme showing two kittens embracing. The image read: “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”
Ohio Officials Refute Claim
The officials in Springfield, Ohio, on Monday clarified that they have not received any credible reports suggesting that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating pets.
Speaking to CNN, a spokesperson for the City of Springfield said “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Haitian American who represents a district in South Florida, launched a scathing attack on both Vance and Cruz, calling them “disgusting” when asked about the rumours they helped spread Monday.
“And I say that because these are senators who are educated men, they have enough common sense to look into the issue and find out if it’s true, and they have a responsibility not to be spreading lies,” said McCormick.
