three headlines about Springfeild, Ohio Haitian migrants lie
Molly Butler / Media Matters

Research/Study Research/Study

False claims about Haitian migrants, pushed by the GOP ticket and right-wing media, have had real-world consequences

This isn’t the first time right-wing media narratives about migrants have been followed by violent threats and acts

Written by Emma Mae Weber

Research contributions from Reed McMaster & Casey Wexler

Published

Right-wing media’s penchant for xenophobic fearmongering has once again contributed to threats of real-world violence, this time after outlets helped spread a racist claim about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, that was pushed by Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH). 

Since then, Springfield has fielded dozens of bomb threats, schools have been forced to close or evacuate, and at least one Haitian resident reported vandalism.

In the past, right-wing anti-migrant narratives have fueled vigilante groups, bomb threats, and mass shootings.

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  • The debunked rumor, amplified by a Neo-Nazi group, right-wing media, and the Trump/Vance ticket, gained national prominence on the presidential debate stage

    • A debunked, racist claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield were eating pets spread online and was boosted by a neo-Nazi group. [NBC, 9/13/24]
    • Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance amplified the false claim on X. Vance wrote: “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country.” Vance later said that if he has to “create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do.” [NPR, 9/10/24, 9/15/24]
    • Right-wing media repeatedly promoted the false claim. Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, InfoWars conspiracist Alex Jones, and Fox contributor Clay Travis, and others repeated the claim.  Right-wing media figures also dehumanized Haitians, calling or comparing them to “locusts,” zombies,” and “weird Third World aliens.” [Media Matters, 9/10/24, 9/10/24]
    • Former President Donald Trump brought up the debunked claim during the September 10 presidential debate, saying, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs.” After the debate, Fox host Jesse Watters doubled down on the false claim. Watters claimed that Haitians were seen abducting geese in Springfield, a story published by The Federalist. The mayor and other Ohio and local leaders have dismissed the claims. [ABC, 9/10/24; Media Matters, 9/19/24; The Federalist, 9/10/24; BBC, 9/12/24]

  • The Springfield, Ohio, community has faced days of threats following Trump’s amplification of the racist smear

    • Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the city has received at least 33 bomb threats, and officials canceled a festival. The threats to the city, county, and school facilities ultimately caused the town to cancel its annual CultureFest due to safety concerns. [CNBC, 9/16/24; Dayton Daily News, 9/16/24]
    • On September 12, numerous city buildings reportedly closed due to a bomb threat. A bomb threat targeted “City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Springfield Driver’s Exam Station, Ohio License Bureau on the south side, Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School.” [Springfield News-Sun, 9/12/24]
    • On September 13, Springfield County School District reportedly closed or evacuated four schools due to bomb threats. [Springfield News-Sun, 9/13/24]
    • On September 14, members of the far-right militia the Proud Boys reportedly marched through the town. [Twitter/X, 9/14/24; CBS, 9/16/24]
    • On September 15, two area colleges shifted to virtual operations after receiving threats. Clark State College received an email threat regarding a possible shooting on September 14 and a bomb threat on September 15. On September 14, Wittenberg University received an email threatening a campus shooting, and later the school got a second email containing a bomb threat. [Clark State College, accessed 9/16/24; Wittenberg University, updated 9/16/24; Springfield News-Sun, 9/15/24] 
    • On September 15, Central Christian Church in Springfield, Ohio, which invited Haitian migrants to the Sunday service, reported receiving threats. [NPR, 9/15/24]
    • On September 16, two additional elementary schools were evacuated due to bomb threats. Springfield City School District said Simon Kenton Elementary School and Kenwood Elementary School were evacuated, making them the “fifth and sixth SCSD buildings to be targeted by recent threats within the last week.” [WHIO TV 7, 9/16/24] 
    • The Haitian Times reported that many Haitian residents of Springfield have said they feel unsafe, and one woman said her car was vandalized twice after the presidential debate. The woman didn’t want to be identified due to threats of further violence, but claimed she woke up one morning to her car windows being broken and another morning to acid being thrown on her car. [The Haitian Times, 9/11/24]

  • Right-wing media’s racist and xenophobic misinformation has been followed by real-world violence and threats

    • Residents in Aurora, Colorado, have seen threats and armed groups loitering outside local properties after right-wing media pushed unverified rumors that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over buildings there. Trump also mentioned Aurora at the debate, saying, “They’re taking over buildings. They’re going in violently.” [The Washington Post, 9/14/24; The New York Times, 9/15/24]
    • Earlier this year, a Brooklyn high school received a bomb threat after right-wing media fixated on the school’s decision to house migrants during a winter storm. [Media Matters, 1/10/24, Gothamist, 1/10/24]
    • In 2019, a 21-year-old gunman opened fire in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, writing that it was a “response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” a narrative that had been routinely pushed in right-wing media.  Right-wing media mainstreamed the belief that immigrants were “invading” the southern border. [The New York Times, 8/4/19; Media Matters, 1/31/24, 8/6/19, 8/15/19]
    • The man who killed 11 people in the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in 2018 blamed Jews for bringing nonwhite immigrants into the U.S., a tenet of the great replacement conspiracy theory that has been pushed by right-wing media. This shooting came after years of right-wing media fearmongering about “migrant caravans” and a supposed immigrant “invasion” and platforming of the racist conspiracy theory. [CBS News, 10/27/23; Media Matters, 4/11/19, 6/30/22, 1/31/24]