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CNN —
Several prominent Republicans, including the party’s vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, promoted false claims on Monday that Haitian migrants in Ohio are killing and eating family pets.
It’s the latest turn in a campaign that has increasingly embraced race-baiting messaging, questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity while seeking to undermine her immigration policies.
The rumors center 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 from years of natural disasters, political assassinations and gang rule.
A post in a Springfield Facebook group recently claimed a neighbor’s daughter’s friend found their missing cat hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbor’s home, and it was being prepped to be eaten, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Those rumors were picked up by conservative media and then spread on X, where they gained widespread traction on Monday.
“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.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posted a meme showing two kittens embracing. Text overlaid on the image reads: “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”
Vance posted a video of himself discussing migration to Ohio at a recent hearing. “Reports now show that people have had...
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