Purported KKK flyers call for ‘mass deportation’ of Haitians

New flyers demanding the “mass deportation” of foreigners and Haitians have allegedly begun circulating in a US city as wild rumours spread.

Flyers claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan demanding the “mass deportation” of foreigners have allegedly begun circulating in Springfield, Ohio after unsubstantiated claims of Haitian migrants eating pets.

The posters were purportedly made by the “Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan”, according to an image shared on X by Noah Lanard, a reporter with the left-wing magazine Mother Jones.

“What’s now being distributed in Springfield, according to a local pastor,” Lanard wrote.

The flyer declares in large font, “Foreigners & Haitians Out.”

A flyer calling for ‘Haitians out’. Picture: X

It continues, “There is no place in America for this filth! We don’t need more police officers. We need MASS DEPORTATION. One quarter of Springfield is already in poverty. Now $2 million is being used to care for these beast of the fields. America first. Join us and stand against forced immigration.”

The flyer included a PO box address and a “Klanline” phone number.

“All the crazies are out in force and are elevated by Trump-Vance,” one X user commented.

But a number of people expressed scepticism, with one describing it as “such obvious BS”.

Between 12,000 to 15,000 Haitian migrants have moved to Springfield, Ohio in recent years, a city which is home to just over 58,000 people.

The city has recently been the target of wild allegations that migrants are gobbling up wildlife and pets.

Donald Trump repeated the rumours Haitians were eating local pets. Picture: Robyn Beck/AFP

The rumours first emerged from a recent social media post where a woman made baseless claims that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating locals’ pets. The woman has since said she’s deeply sorry and didn’t intend to cause any harm to the Haitian community.

However, these claims spiralled out of control and were repeated by former US President Donald Trump, even during last week’s presidential debate with Kamala Harris.

“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Mr Trump told the crowd.

Then, during a rally in Arizona earlier in the week he declared, “A recording of 911 calls show that residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town’s geese. They’re taking the geese. You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets.”

He was referring to a 911 call allegedly made by a Springfield resident who reported spotting four Haitian migrants snatching geese near a city park.

A man carries an AI-generated image of Mr Trump carrying cats. Picture: Rebecca Noble/AFP

Mr Trump declared he would deport Haitians from Springfield if elected.

Ohio Senator JD Vance, Mr Trump’s running mate, has also echoed the false allegations.

“It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen,” Erika Lee from Springfield, who originally posted the claim, told NBC News. She had posted on Facebook about a missing cat her neighbour believed was butchered and eaten by one of the city’s Haitian residents.

“My neighbour informed me that her daughters [sic] friend had lost her cat,” she had posted, reported Newsguard, a media watchdog that monitors for misinformation online.

“One day she came home from work, as soon as she stepped out of her car, looked towards a neighbours house, where Haitians live, and saw her cat hanging from a branch, like you’d do a deer for butchering, and they were carving it up to eat.”

Wildlife authorities said there was no evidence that a man spotted carrying a goose in Ohio was a migrant or had plans to eat the bird. Picture: r/isitmeyourelooking4x

However, the neighbour said she had not heard the story from her daughter but from an acquaintance.

Other posts have emerged that contributed to the disinformation that’s spreading regarding claims migrants have been gobbling up pets.

They include a photo of a man holding two dead geese. The image actually turned out to have emerged from Columbus, Ohio, 70 kilometres from Springfield.

It turns out the man wasn’t taking the geese home to eat, but instead was removing them from the street after they were hit by a car, the Ohio Division of Wildlife confirmed to TMZ.

There’s also no evidence the man is a migrant.

Then, there was footage showing a woman who allegedly killed and tried to eat a cat – also from Ohio, this time in Canton.

There’s no connection between these incidents and the Haitian community.

Several schools and municipal offices in Springfield were forced to closed due to bomb threats following the national media attention.

The rumours have been debunked by local authorities, who said there’s been no credible reports of pets being taken and eaten.

However, they continue to circulate.