Are Haitian migrants in Ohio stealing and eating pets like cats and ducks?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Haitian migrants in Ohio are stealing + eating pets!
Some people are claiming or suggesting that Haitian migrants in Ohio are stealing and eating pets like cats and ducks!
JD Vance : 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?
End Wokeness : Under Harris and Biden, 20,000 Haitian immigrants were shipped to the town. Now ducks and pets are disappearing.
These claims appear to have started from a post in a private Facebook group on Springfield Ohio crime and information:
Warning to all about our beloved pets & those around us!! My neighbor informed me that her daughters friend had lost her cat,” the user wrote. “One day she came home from work, as soon as she stepped out of her car, looked towards a neighbors house, where Haitians live, & saw her cat hanging from a branch, like you’d do a deer for butchering, & they were carving it up to eat. I’ve been told they are doing this to dogs, they have been doing it at snyder park with the ducks & geese, as I was told that last bit by Rangers & police. Please keep a close eye on these animals.
It then escalated, with some people posting body cam footage of a woman, claiming or suggesting that she was a Haitian who was being arrested for allegedly killing and eating a cat.
Since then, these claims about Haitian migrants in Ohio stealing and eating pets have gone viral on social media, with many right-wing American influencers and politicians sharing or promoting the narrative.
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Truth : Haitian migrants in Ohio are not stealing + eating pets!
This appears to be yet another example of fake news being created or promoted ahead of the 2024 US Presidential election, and here are the reasons why…
Springfield police denied reports of stolen pets
The unverified Facebook post claimed that the police and “Rangers” warned about Haitians eating dogs, ducks and geese. That appears to be untrue.
On Monday morning, 9 September 2024, the Springfield Police Division refuted that claim, stating (source) that it has not received any reports about pets being stolen and eaten.
Springfield Police said they were aware of the social media post but that this was “not something that’s on our radar right now.”
Springfield City Manager denied claims pets were harmed by migrants
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck also debunked claims (source) that Haitian migrants were stealing and eating people’s pets:
In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.
Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.
To be clear – none of those claims on social media were ever backed by actual evidence.
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Viral video does not show Haitian migrant eating stolen cat
This bodycam footage is being shared as evidence that Haitian migrants were stealing and eating pet cats in Springfield, Ohio.
The problem is – that video does not show a Haitian migrant, but rather, a 27 year-old American citizen called Allexis Telia Ferrell.
Ferrell was arrested on August 16, 2024 at around 11 PM, for killing a cat by stomping on its head, before proceeding to eat it “in a residential area in front of multiple people”.
In addition, the video was actually recorded in in Stark County in Canton, Ohio – about 170 miles (270 kilometres) from Springfield.
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Viral photo was not taken in Springfield, Ohio
Some people are sharing a photo of a Black man holding a dead Canada goose, and claiming or suggesting that he was a Haitian migrant who killed and stole the goose from a nearby park in Springfield, Ohio.
The problem is – this photo was taken about two months earlier in Columbus, Ohio, by isitmeyourelooking4x who posted it (archive) on Reddit, with the caption – Things you see while driving in CBUS – Yes, it’s a goose.
OP : Somehow 2 months after I took the picture in Columbus it is being attributed to a Haitian in Springfield
Others: : Yes but did you take this photo in Springfield or is it just a load of crap?
OP : Don’t know how many times I have to say I took the picture in Columbus before people understand I took it in Columbus. I have never even been to Springfield
Others : Sorry i didn’t see your earlier comment. But yea this is crazy
OP : Ya. Everything the rightwing pushes are lies.
To be clear – the person who took that photo has never said that the man was a Haitian immigrant, or claimed that the man killed or stole the goose.
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Haitian immigrants are not “illegal aliens”
Since 2011, Haitian citizens can remain in the United States and obtain work authorisations, and Social Security numbers, through the Temporary Protected Status.
Therefore, it is broadly untrue that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are “illegal aliens” as Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance and others have claimed.
Haitian immigrants were not “sent” to Springfield, Ohio
Claims or suggestions that Haitian immigrants were “sent” to Springfield, Ohio, by the Biden Administration are also false.
According to The New York Times, several manufacturing plants and warehouses opened in the small city between 2017 and 2020, creating a surplus of jobs that attracted Haitian immigrants.
Soon there were not enough workers. Many young, working-age people [from Springfield] had descended into addiction. Others shunned entry-level, rote work altogether, employers said. Haitians who heard that the Springfield area boasted well-paying, blue-collar jobs and a low cost of living poured in, and employers were eager to hire and train the new work force.
In short – an abundance of work attracted Haitian immigrants to Springfield, Ohio. They were not sent there.
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