Just when you think you’ve heard the most repulsive commentary from the Republican party, they manage to continuously sink to new lows. Their latest inflammatory remark comes from GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance about Haitian immigrants.
At a Springfield City Commission meeting on Aug. 27 in Ohio, a local resident named Anthony Harris said that Haitian immigrants were killing park ducks and eating them. The disturbing video from the meeting has since spread on social media.
On Monday (Sept 9.), Vance went on X and posted a video of himself at a July Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing. In the clip, Vance is reading a letter from Springfield city manager Bryan Heck about problems the city is facing as their Haitian immigrant population increases.
Vance captioned the post: “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?”
There is absolutely no truth to these claims, as the Springfield Police Division explained in a statement on Monday that it hasn’t received any reports about anyone eating or stealing pets.
The right still managed to run rampant with this lie. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) shared a meme of cats with the caption, “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.” Elon Musk tweeted out “Apparently, people’s pet cats are being eaten.”
The House Judiciary Committee Republicans account also posted on X, sharing an AI image of former President Trump hugging a duck and a cat with the caption “protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!”
Back in June, the Biden administration expanded immigration protections for Haitians. This decision allowed around 309,000 Haitians to live and work in the United States without the worry or fear of deportation.
The right’s latest tactic to dehumanize immigrants — particularly Black ones — is nothing new but still completely and utterly deplorable.