How Did Fake News About Haitian Migrants Eating Cats Spread From Malaysian Propagandist to Trump Campaign and JD Vance?

AP Photo/Matt York

The Trump campaign pushed unfounded online rumors in a mailer sent out Monday that Haitian migrants in Ohio were eating pets, using the story as a political attack line to accuse Vice President Kamala Harris of failing on immigration policies, citing tweets as evidence.

The email claims, among other alleged crimes, that Haitian immigrants have “reportedly been caught ‘decapitating ducks’ and hunting geese and other livestock in public parks — and even kidnapping residents’ pets — then eating them.”

The campaign email came on Monday soon after former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (R-OH), also amplified the claims when he shared a clip of himself discussing “the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants,” whom he accused of “draining social services and generally causing chaos in Springfield, Ohio.”

He added: “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”

The claim that Haitian immigrants were abducting and consuming pets, particularly cats and ducks, appears to have begun when some right-wing accounts amplified a Fox News report about a local woman, Allexis Telia Ferrell , who was arrested in August for allegedly killing and eating a cat .

The disturbing incident—where Ferrell reportedly stomped on a cat’s head before consuming it in front of horrified neighbors—became the foundation for claims about Haitian migrants. Notably, no evidence linked Ferrell, who is facing charges, to any migrant background, much less the Haitian community.

The story was noticed and pushed by several major right-wing accounts, including Malaysian-based MAGA influencer Ian Miles Cheong , who shared footage of Ferrell’s arrest and told his followers, asking whether “drugs” were to blame, that she was “Haitian.”

Since then the story has snowballed into a political talking point, drawing in high-profile figures close to the Trump campaign like Vance and Donald Trump Jr. , as the narrative linked the local incident to broader issues of illegal immigration.

Billionaire X owner Elon Musk even waded into the debate when responding to a post by Turning Point USA director and conservative activist Charlie Kirk , who also shared the claim, with: “Apparently, people’s pet cats are being eaten.”

While Ferrell does not appear to have any connection to the Haitian community, conservatives point to ongoing tensions between Haitian immigrants and some Springfield residents.

The issue has been raised at city council meetings and gained renewed attention over the weekend after a local resident alleged during a Springfield City Commission meeting claimed, in a separate incident, that a Haitian immigrant decapitated a duck at a neighborhood pond for food.

Springfield police, however, released a statement confirming that there have been no reports received of pets being stolen and eaten.

Regardless, as the bizarre narrative becomes political meme fodder, even the official account for GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee used AI images to push the narrative — much to Musk’s pleasure.

Don’t be surprised if you hear the talking point raised during Tuesday’s ABC-hosted presidential debate.