Right-wing media figures and influencers have descended on Springfield, Ohio, hunting for anything that can help them prove the veracity of a viral racist rumor about Haitian migrants in the community — and relying on misleading, occasionally AI-generated content to help them prove their point. Springfield, which has seen its Haitian population grow by an estimated 15,000 people, has become a sort of shorthand for conservatives’ fears about immigration and demographic change.
One of the most recent examples comes from Tyler Oliveira, a YouTuber and MrBeast associate, who posted a misleading video about Springfield on Wednesday. Oliveira’s video intersperses interviews with locals — including some Haitians — with AI-generated images and memes. Just five seconds in, the video shows a clearly AI-generated clip of a Black man driving a white van surrounded by cats. The video also features clips totally unrelated to Springfield, including footage of a woman being arrested for eating a cat in Canton, Ohio, and a clip of gang members marching on a street in Haiti. It’s a textbook example of disinformation.
Republicans have largely embraced the anti-Haitian smear — and encouraged others to spread it — in the days since it first gained traction online. Former President Donald Trump mentioned it during this week’s presidential debate in response to a question about border policy. Vice presidential candidate JD Vance encouraged supporters to “meme on” even if the rumor turned out to be false. And conservative provocateur Christopher Rufo offered a “$5,000 bounty” to anyone who could produce “hard, verifiable evidence that Haitian migrants are eating cats” in Springfield.
The rumor has had tangible effects on Springfield, particularly its growing Haitian community. The Haitian Times reports that some families chose to keep their children home from school, fearing violent attacks. One Haitian woman, who says she’s lived in Springfield for six years, told the Times that her car was recently vandalized. And the Springfield News-Sun reports that multiple government buildings in the city were closed Thursday after a bomb threat to “multiple facilities throughout Springfield.” Springfield’s city hall was evacuated, as was a local elementary school.
False claims about people eating cats aren’t the only disinformation coming out of Springfield. Oliveira’s video suggests that the migrants in Springfield are taking public benefits that would otherwise go to Americans, while politicians, including Vance, have claimed Haitians recently crossed the border. But the Dayton Daily News reports that most of the Haitians in Springfield are in the US under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), an immigration designation that lets nationals from certain countries live and work in the US but does not provide a pathway to citizenship. TPS is only available for people already in the United States; people can’t apply for it after crossing the border. Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010, and President Joe Biden reissued its TPS status in 2021, meaning no one who arrived after then is eligible for it. And people with TPS aren’t eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or most other forms of public assistance.
The most overt misinformation coming out of Springfield — the racist rumor about migrants eating pets — obscures the smaller, more insidious lies being spread about the community.