Migrants are kidnapping and eating pets: Trump's statement has sparked a lot of jokes and memes

Donald Trump associate J.D. Vance and entrepreneur Elon Musk are spreading baseless claims that Haitian immigrants are kidnapping and eating pets. Moreover, the presidential candidate himself made such a claim during the September 10 debate (video below), writes Documented.

Photo: Bwendeln | Dreamstime.com

This week, social media has been flooded with racist and xenophobic messages from the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement targeting Haitian immigrants for allegedly kidnapping and eating domestic and wild animals in the United States.

One particularly viral post was made on H by Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance. Vance said he had previously raised the issue of "Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio." And "reports now show that residents of the city are having their pets stolen and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country."

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? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024

X owner Elon Musk amplified the fake news with several posts and comments promoting a story accusing Haitian immigrants of catching ducks in parks and eating them.

The posts generated hundreds of racist comments, with users questioning the intelligence of Haitian immigrants and attributing cannibalism to them, among other vile accusations.

Republican analyst Andrew Surabian, a close ally of Steve Bannon, tweeted a video of Kamala Harris discussing the Biden administration’s extension of TPS status for more than 100 Haitian immigrants. Surabian’s post read, “While 000 non-citizen Haitians destroy an Ohio town and reportedly kill and eat pets, ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris brags about letting them flood our country.” The video, which Elon Musk reposted, has been viewed more than 20 million times.

Vote for Kamala if you want this to happen to your neighborhood! https://t.co/TfR8ekmFAZ

- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 9, 2024

Meanwhile, MAGA supporters have flooded social media with AI-generated images, including cats wearing red MAGA hats with the caption “Cats for Trump.” Other images show Trump with pets, accompanied by the caption “Vote Trump to save our pets.” One widely shared image shows Trump running alongside a white duck while holding a cat, while a crowd of black people, presumably Haitians, chases him.

Screenshot via X/@ChuckCallesto

Ohio officials said they have no evidence or allegations of pets being harmed or abused by immigrants, CBS News reported.

Although these claims have been widely debunked, Donald Trump repeated them during a presidential debate with Kamala Harris without directly mentioning Haitians. “In Springfield, they eat dogs. The people who come here eat cats,” he said.

Just hours before the presidential debate, J.D. Vance posted on X that his office had received numerous inquiries from Springfield residents about Haitian immigrants kidnapping pets and wild animals. While he acknowledged that “all of these rumors may be false,” Vance further stoked xenophobia by citing rising rates of HIV and tuberculosis in the Haitian community, among other made-up horror stories. In response to the swarming posts, many Haitians living in the U.S. posted photos of themselves with pets and wild animals to ridicule the baseless claims that they kill and eat pets.

“We are disgusted by this slander and the Haitian Bridge Alliance urges Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance to retract his dehumanizing speech against black communities across the country,” the Haitian Bridge Alliance wrote on Facebook.

“As a proud Haitian-American, I am simply outraged by the constant comments from the Republican Party that disparage black immigrants and use the most xenophobic and racist language,” New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle S. Solage said in a TikTok video, calling on others to support Haitian-led organizations helping their fellow immigrants in Ohio.

While some are rightly outraged, others are just joking. The Internet is flooded with memes about Haitians eating pets, as well as Trump saving cats and ducks.

@angielolo 2024 & we're still doing this without fact checking? It's laughable cause if we did eat cat it would be properly seasoned but all jokes aside, let's do better. JD Vance do better. @_osskiii @Blackricky_lol #Haiti #haitian #jdvance #election #America #funny #haitianfood ♬ original sound — Angie Lolo

🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/96vvZhvuSv

- Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 9, 2024

Trump himself couldn't resist making memes - he posted several AI-generated pictures on Truth Social of him saving animals or them saving themselves by wearing MAGA caps.

Screenshot from Truth Social

Screenshot from Truth Social

When Trump became president in January 2017, more than 50 Haitians were under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). But in November 000, he ended the program. The decision was challenged in court, and the Biden administration later extended TPS for Haitians in 2017. According to immigrant advocacy groups, a Trump presidency could be disastrous for TPS holders.

In 2018, Trump called Haiti a “shithole country” during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House. During the meeting, he said, “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them away,” a source familiar with the meeting told the Washington Post.

On September 10, the Haitian American Endowment for Democracy released a statement condemning Vance and several congressional leaders for spreading “dangerous lies that demonize Haitian immigrants as homeless and hungry invaders who pose a threat to Ohioans and even their pets.”

“We call on all Haitian Americans and our allies to resist these heinous attacks by actively participating in the democratic process and promoting inclusivity. By doing so, we can help ensure that all members of society are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect,” the statement said.

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