Former President Donald Trump repeated a false viral claim that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, “are eating the pets of the people that live there,” during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, despite local police saying there have been “no credible reports” of immigrants harming or abusing pets.
Trump speaks at the debate. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Key Takeaways
- Trump said immigrants are “eating the dogs” and “eating the cats” of Springfield residents, during a segment about immigration policy.
- The claim, which has also been spread by Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, appeared to originate from a user on a Springfield, Ohio, group page on Facebook claiming their neighbor’s daughter’s friend found her cat hung and carved from a branch at a Haitian neighbor’s home—though the post’s claim had no first-hand backing.
- Springfield Police investigations commander Mike Kranz told Forbes there have been “no credible reports” of immigrants in the small Ohio city harming pets.
- Debate moderator David Muir cited Springfield officials’ denials, to which Trump claimed he has seen “people on television” who have said their “dog was taken and used for food.”
- Vance also pushed the claim this week and doubled down on it Tuesday, claiming he heard from Springfield residents who have said their neighbors’ pets were taken by Haitian immigrants, though the senator noted “it’s “possible, of course, that all of these rumours will turn out to be false.”
Big Number
20,000. That is how many Haitian immigrants have moved to Springfield in recent years, according to The New York Times, which cited city officials.
Key Background
Vance’s initial post spreading the claim was published on Monday and has nearly 11 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The senator cited unspecified reports that people in Springfield “have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.” Springfield’s population, estimated at 58,000 in the 2020 census, has experienced an influx of immigrant workers amid a rise in manufacturing and warehouse jobs, leading to tensions with some local residents, the Times reported.
Vance—who represents Ohio in the Senate—claimed at this year’s National Conservatism Conference the jump in Haitian immigrants has strained the housing market, saying people do not have to believe “at least most of the 20,000 newcomers, are bad people” to acknowledge the pressure put on housing. He has also cited a deadly 2023 incident in which a Haitian immigrant crashed into a school bus.
This article was originally published on forbes.com.
