Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) wants more cat memes amplifying anti-Haitian migrant rhetoric.
But he also wants you to know that he might’ve been wrong in amplifying baseless claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio are abducting and eating residents’ pets.
The wild claim is completely untrue, according to Springfield officials, who say they’ve received no credible reports of that occurring.
The town has become a flashpoint after an influx of immigrants from Haiti.
But the stories were nonetheless amplified by a myriad of right-wingers online, including Vance, who on Monday wrote that “reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
The rumor mill stems from a report that a 27-year-old Ohio woman was charged last month with injuring animals, with Fox News reporting she allegedly killed a cat and began eating it in front of her neighbors.
The horrific allegations, given it also happened in Ohio, however, were baselessly linked to Haitian migrants by right-wing influencers, despite the report making no mention of the woman being Haitian.
A different clip, of a Black man holding a duck, was also incorrectly tied to Springfield.
The viral claims quickly spread, with some right-wingers pushing stories about migrants practicing animal sacrifice and others generating memes of cats and other animals decked out in pro-Trump gear.
It’s the latest line in right-wingers anti-migrant rhetoric, which Vance and other conservatives have leaned into ahead of the presidential election, given Vice President Kamala Harris being tasked with tackling the root causes of migration from Central America.
“Border Czar Kamala Harris has allowed the cartels to poison hundreds of thousands of our citizens. Now she wants a promotion. Hell no!” Vance wrote in July.
Amid criticism over spreading false information about Haitian pet-eating, Vance said on Tuesday he heard reports of it, coming secondhand from neighbors who said it happened.
He also added that it could be false. But he doubled down on his anti-migrant stance.
“In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants,” he said on X. “It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
“Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here,” he said, referencing the Haitian minivan driver who crashed into a school bus Aug. 22, killing an 11-year-old and injuring dozens.
“That local health services have been overwhelmed,” Vance continued. “That communicable diseases—like TB and HIV—have been on the rise. That local schools have struggled to keep up with newcomers who don’t know English. That rents have risen so fast that many Springfield families can’t afford to put a roof over their head.”
In a follow-up post, Vance concluded: “In short, don’t let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots. Keep the cat memes flowing.”
Vance’s call for anti-migrant cat memes was quickly condemned by critics.
“Vance acknowledges he tweeted out unconfirmed rumors about migrants, then says keep it going anyway,” wrote one person.
“‘I know I lied but keep lying about it. It makes me feel better,’” swiped someone else.
Rep. Maxwell Forst (D-Fla.) reacted to the uproar in a statement Tuesday, saying that “JD Vance and GOP leaders’ racially motivated attacks against Haitian people are disgusting, bigoted, and based on flat-out lies.”
“Haitian migrants and Haitian Americans deserve leaders who will see them as human beings and will fight for them, not leaders who will cast them out when it benefits them,” Frost said.
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