What the duck? Springfield migrant problem drives headlines and memes
Haitian migrants have reportedly overwhelmed the city with reports of pets and ducks being slaughtered
Seeing duck and cat memes all over social media in the last day or so?
The memes are connected to news about the city of Springfield, Ohio, being overrun with 20,000 Haitian migrants.
The story broke after a woman's plea to the city council went viral.
“I have men that cannot speak English in my front yard screaming at me, throwing mattresses … I weigh 95 pounds. I couldn’t defend myself if I had to," she told the council.
Read up on that incident at the Daily Mail: Woman is forced out of her Springfield home of 45 years after migrants began squatting on her lawn
The woman wasn't alone. Another citizen spoke out about the influx of Haitians. That individual told the council, "Haitians are in the park grabbing ducks, cutting the heads off, and eating them." Watch that clip on X.
The Daily Mail also has that story: Springfield resident claims Haitian migrants are 'decapitating and eating ducks in the park' as Ohio town rages over explosion of migrants
X account "End Wokeness" posted a screenshot of a Springfield resident concerned about pet disappearances alongside an image of an alleged Haitian carrying a dead duck. The source of the image on the right has been questioned.
And that is how we got the duck and cat memes.
More To The Story
Republicans have pointed out that Vice President Kamala Harris is the responsible party for the onslaught in Springfield.
"We extended Temporary Protected Status to over 100,000 Haitian Migrants," Harris said in 2021 on ABC's talk show, "The View."
This past June, the Biden-Harris administration upped that number to 309,000 by extending the deadline for Haitians to receive "protected status."
According to NPR the influx of Haitians will likely rise because the extension period "starts on Aug. 4 and runs until Feb. 3, 2026."
Cats and ducks aren't the only deaths.
Last year, on the first day of school, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed on his way to school while riding the bus in crash caused by a Haitian migrant.
The migrant, Hermanio Joseph, had no U.S. drivers license and veered his minivan directly into the path of the school bus.
In May 2024, Joseph was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter.
The arrival of tens of thousands of Haitians in Springfield have caused a severe housing shortage and are draining the city's resources, per a letter sent by the city manager this past July to U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown and Tim Scott.
Ohio's Attorney General David Yost is now investigating how so many migrants landed in Springfield in such a short time frame, per local outlet WTRF.
WTRF also reported on the strain on the city in other ways than financial resources.
"In addition to straining available resources, locals have complained of migrants causing car crashes, stealing property – including livestock, squatting in homes and killing wildlife for food," WTRF's report states.
And we're back to ducks and cats.
