A content creator with 7.8 million followers has received backlash after posting a joke about pets being eaten in Springfield, Ohio.
Seth Phillips, otherwise known by his Instagram handle @dudewithsign, posted a photo September 12 of himself holding a sign that reads: “do NOT take your pets to Springfield.”
The sign is an apparent reference to debunked claims about pets being stolen and eaten by Haitian migrants in the town of Springfield, Ohio, which Donald Trump amplified during the presidential debate on Tuesday.
Phillips’ post blew up, receiving over 200,000 likes and 4,600 comments, many of which criticized the influencer, who left a comment clarifying, “This is sarcasm guys.”
Phillips appears to have since turned off the comments on his post.
One comment seen by Newsweek read, “I don’t know if making light of horrible, racist, attacks on a minority community (based on misinformation at that) is that funny.”
Another responded to his comment writing, “It may be sarcasm to you, but tell that to the Haitian immigrants who are legally there, many of whom have been there for years, are working jobs that a lot of locals don’t want, and are getting so much hate for a lie. Worst sign you’ve done.”
The photo also spread on X, formerly Twitter, where one user posted a screenshot critical of the post that received over 875,000 views.
Newsweek reached out to Phillips for comment via email.
Springield, Ohio, has become the epicenter of an immigration debate
Paul Vernon/Associated Press
Newsweek previously reported that these rumors about the Haitian community appeared to start with a post to a private Facebook group, which spread across social media. On September 9, Senator Ted Cruz posted a meme showing an image of cats superimposed with the text “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”
The claims were amplified by Ohio Senator and vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who posted to his account on X, formerly Twitter, on September 10, writing: “In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants. It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
This story spread further when Trump said “they’re eating the dogs,” during the debate.
A spokesperson for Springfield previously told Newsweek that there are “no credible reports” that immigrants were harming or abusing pets.
The Heritage Center in Springfield, Ohio
Paul Vernon/Associated Press
Rebecca Kirzner, the associate vice president for strategic communications and media at HIAS, a refugee resettlement agency, told Newsweek there are dangers to joking about refugees and migrants.
Kirzner told Newsweek she sees such posts as “problematic.”
“Basically, these kinds of tropes have been used throughout history to reduce and degenerate immigrants,” Kirzner said. “It should be taken seriously and it is not a joke to further spread these conspiracies and misinformation about immigrants and refugees.”
Haitians living in Springfield have spoken to various news outlets and disputed the suggestion that they’re there illegally. Springfield’s Haitian population has grown by between 15,000 and 20,000 in the past four years, according to city authorities. The city’s website explicitly states that “Haitian immigrants are here legally, under the Immigration Parole Program.”
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