Regrets and rumors: the Springfield woman who started the immigrants eating cats rumor repents

Erika Lee, a resident of Springfield, Ohio, who initially shared the false rumor about Haitian immigrants consuming cats, has expressed regret over her post, acknowledging that it gained traction and influenced the national political discourse.

Donald Trump replicated the false statement during the ABC News debate, which caught the attention of the internet. Songs, jokes, memes, and hate speech have grown around humor.

The idea prompted Kamala Harris to laugh and claim that those "extreme" lies are the reason 200 former Republican officials have endorsed her in an open letter. Despite that, the former President repeated the lie.

It was not the first time that the Trump campaign amplified the lie. His running mate amplified it hours before the debate, and a press release echoed his statement.

According to the NY Times, the myth stemmed from a Facebook post by Ms. Lee. Although it was a baseless claim, it still took the internet by storm and was amplified instantly by conservatives online.

According to People magazine's interview with Ms. Lee, the rumor started in a conversation between neighbors. After that, she posted it on a local crime Facebook page.

Ms. Lee wrote that the cat of a neighboring girl had gone missing and was then found outside the house of a Haitian family, butchered and hanging upside down.

According to several news outlets, Springfield's local police have clarified that they have not received any report of anyone eating a pet. Still, the rumor is part of a larger effort.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

When she realized the statement was baseless, Ms. Lee deleted the post. However, another user published a screenshot in X, and it grew quickly.

The NY Times said JD Vance retweeted the post, saying, "It's coming to your city next." Mr. Vance has attacked the growing community of Haitian immigrants in Springfield many times in the past months.

The tension has grown inside the community for months, and the rumor has only worsened things. Ms. Lee told People she pulled her daughter from school over fears for her safety.

She also told the NY Times she regrets the publication and added to People that if she were Haitian, she would also be scared, given the hostility of the community after the rumor grew.

Haitian immigration has grown in the US as the country is crippled with gang violence. The growth in job opportunities attracted the community to Springfield. Local authorities estimate that around 20,000 have arrived.

While the immigrants helped revitalize a once-dying community by taking blue-collar jobs in factories struggling to find workers, they also pressured housing and schools, the NY Times said.

The tensions had been growing for months but reached their peak last year when an immigrant driver was involved in a fatal school bus crash. Mr. Vance has dipped into the local anxiety.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

He has accused the immigrants of "draining social services" and "generally causing chaos." He also said they were there illegally in the country, which is false.

However, despite the targeted attacks on the Springfield Haitian community, this is far from the first time people have spread the myth that immigrants eat pets or used their eating habits to discriminate against them.

According to NPR, Italians were once labeled as "garlic eaters," and people have long used beans to create a slur against Mexicans. The pet myth is also an old one, used to discriminate against Asian immigrants.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.