Undocumented immigrants are coming to kidnap and eat your family pets, Republicans will have you know.
Prominent politicians, including JD Vance and their chief internet allies, are spreading a fake far-right conspiracy theory about furry-friend munching migrants. And naturally, Kamala Harris is to blame.
“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?” Vance posted on X on Monday, along with a video of him speaking at a hearing.
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The viral narrative gained traction after an Ohio woman, whose public voter registration record indicates she is a U.S. citizen, was arrested in August for allegedly killing a cat and eating its carcass in public. It was an isolated incident. There is no evidence of a widespread pattern.
Soon after, a social media post in a Springfield, Ohio, Facebook group caught attention for claiming that Haitian neighbors were hunting cats, ducks and geese. In a Springfield City Commission meeting, one attendee accused Haitian immigrants of “grabbing up ducks” and “eating them.” But the town’s police said they had received no reports about missing or consumed pets and that no such incidents were on their radar.
That hasn’t stopped the theory from gaining traction and prompting right-wing influencers to position Donald Trump as the savior of all things cute and fluffy.
In addition to Vance, other powerful Republicans in Congress have joined in spreading the conspiracy and blaming the Democratic presidential nominee, underscoring their allegiance to Trump ahead of Election Day, when the GOP hopes immigration will be a winning issue at the polls.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) slammed the Biden-Harris administration with a reference to “people from Haiti who are into voodoo” and “eat house cats.” House Judiciary Committee Republicans also weighed in with a post that reads: “Protect our ducks and kittens in Ohio!” The text is accompanied by what appears to be an AI-generated image of Trump crouched in a body of water cuddling with a kitten and a duck.
Elon Musk reshared the image, along with another meme referencing the conspiracy theory. Previously, Musk responded to a post from Turning Point USA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk spreading the false claim.
“Apparently, people’s pet cats are being eaten,” Musk wrote.
Smaller-scale right-wing influencers jumped on the bandwagon, too, many with their own AI creations. One, for instance, features him kissing a mallard’s emerald head.
