Some posters in Springfield, Ohio, have alleged that immigrants are consuming the dogs, cats, and geese. Others have claimed that they are also occupying residential buildings in Colorado and Chicago and that they are hijacking school buses in California. Many people have talked about an increase in criminal activity by immigrants. This has come from or been made worse by former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, his followers, and other well-known conservatives on social media, including Elon Musk, who owns X. As said by Trump, immigrants “are poisoning the blood” of our nation. At a campaign event on September 25, in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Trump stated that “we wouldn’t have hostile takeovers of Springfield, Ohio, Aurora, Colorado, where they’re going in with massive machine-gun type equipment” if Vice President Kamala Harris had closed the border years earlier. They are entering with weapons that are not even suitable for use in combat.”
Origins of false claims about immigrants:
Violent acts for which immigrants are suspected, like the murder of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student, have fueled the rhetoric. President Joe Biden mentioned his death in March’s State of the Union speech. Federal and local law enforcement agencies have expressed serious worries about the increasing number of Venezuelan gangs operating in the United States. According to experts, this kind of hyperbole is nothing new, particularly during a presidential campaign.
“A subset of migrants have been vilified ever since the U.S. has had migrants,”
said Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and a former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He went on to say that similar incidents are occurring in Sweden and the United Kingdom, among other places. This is maybe the most well-known assertion regarding immigration and crime. Early in September, many social media posts shared claims that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs owned by Springfield residents and ducks and geese at nearby parks. Many of these immigrants had arrived legally in the city in the past. Springfield authorities informed PolitiFact that the accusation is unfounded, as they have stated time and time again.
Media influence on the perception of immigrant crime
It started from a story in a private Facebook group that became popular after the verified X account End Wokeness posted a screenshot of the message. The message got almost 5 million views. According to the Facebook post, a Haitian neighbor’s yard included a dead pet cat that was hanging from a tree when the neighbor’s daughter’s friend returned home from work. According to the post’s author, in a nearby park, Haitians were mistreating dogs, ducks, and geese in the same way. Later, the original poster of the tweet informed NBC News that she regretted the backlash from posting it because she had no personal information of immigrants consuming pets. The neighbor she mentioned in her post admitted to NewsGuard that she, too, lacked evidence to support the claim.
Statistical reality vs. misinformation
The allegations of consuming animals and birds were emphasized on X and in remarks given by Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio. In his Philadelphia debate with Harris on September 10, Trump reiterated the ludicrous assertion, adding,
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.”
They are consuming, they are consuming the locals’ pets.”
The Trump-Vance campaign used the Federalist article about a caller to the Clark County Communications Center to keep accusing the Trump-Vance campaign of lying. The caller said he saw four Haitians carrying geese. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigated the matter further, according to PolitiFact, but could find no proof for the allegation. The allegations have affected the Haitian immigrants in Springfield for some time; several of them told PolitiFact that they now worry for their safety.
Category | Key points |
Myth origins | Stereotypes, media distortion, and political goals are common causes of false assertions. |
Common False Claims | The presence of immigrants raises local crime rates; immigrants commit more crimes. |
Reality | Several studies demonstrate that compared to native-born people, immigrants both legal and illegal commit less crimes. |
Media’s role | The widespread belief in these falsehoods is a result of selective reporting and sensationalized headlines. |
Political Influence | false myths that are frequently exploited to advance bigotry, influence immigration laws, and acquire political traction. |
Political motivations behind crime myths
There were internet concerns about a Venezuelan gang taking over an apartment building when security footage appeared to show armed, Spanish-speaking men entering an Aurora, Colorado property. The men are members of the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua, according to statements on social media. Elon Musk emphasized the allegations on X, and during a press conference on September 6, Trump stated that non-citizens “took over buildings” in Aurora.
Author
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The New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs (NYCFPA) is a policy, research, and educational organization headquartered in New York State with an office in Washington D.C. NYCFPA is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, institution devoted to conducting in-depth research and analysis on every aspect of American foreign policy and its impact around the world. The organization is funded by individual donors. The organization receives no corporate or government donations.