Topline
The Springfield, Ohio, police department says it hasn’t received credible claims of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets, despite viral assertions by Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and other right-wing influencers that appear to have erroneously originated from an incident in a different Ohio city.
JD Vance claimed on X that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield. (Photo by Olivier … [+] Touron / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)
Key Facts
The false claim appears to originate from a Facebook post in a Springfield, Ohio, group, local news outlet Springfield News-Sun reported, which has since been parroted in additional viral posts.
Springfield Police investigations commander Mike Kranz told Forbes there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, claimed in a post on X on Monday morning that “reports” show “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” referring to the thousands of Haitian migrants who have settled in Springfield, though he did not cite specific reports.
The Springfield News-Sun reported some viral posts had erroneously linked Springfield to an incident last month in Canton, Ohio, in which a woman was arrested and charged with cruelty to companion animals for allegedly killing and eating a cat.
Crucial Quote
“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community. Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic,” Kranz told Forbes.
Who Is Spreading The False Claims?
Vance’s Monday morning post was viewed more than 2 million times and liked more than 50,000 times. The claims have been repeated by various right-wing commentators, including Charlie Kirk, who garnered more than 3 million views on a post amplifying a claim about pet eating from a Springfield Facebook group post. Kirk responded to another right-wing influencer, Ian Miles Cheong, claiming there are “lots of reports of Haitians eating people’s pets”—though the video that Cheong posted was related to the separate incident in Canton, Ohio. Stephen Miller, a former Trump adviser, has repeatedly posted about the pet eating claims and blamed Vice President Kamala Harris, as the Biden administration has offered temporary protected status to hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants. Elon Musk also repeatedly posted about the pet-eating allegations on X, formerly known as Twitter, and blamed Harris, citing an interview Harris gave to The View in which she explained that the administration offered Haitian immigrants temporary protected status because “they need support, they need protection.”
Key Background
Springfield officials have reportedly estimated that 20,000 Haitian immigrants have settled in the city, mostly since the pandemic. Springfield’s population as of the 2020 census was just over 58,000. Vance has crusaded against the influx of Haitian immigrants, claiming at the National Conservatism Conference in July that it is putting a strain on housing. The New York Times reported the surge of immigrants has put pressure on health clinics, which have had a 13-fold increase in Haitian patients between 2021 and 2023. But the Times also reported the influx of immigrants has helped revitalize what was a shrinking economy in Springfield, and NPR reported immigrants have opened restaurants and helped fill labor shortages. Hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants have been granted temporary protected status by the Biden administration as many escape escalating gang violence in their home country. Tensions between locals and Haitian immigrants were reportedly inflamed last August when Hermanio Joseph, a Haitian immigrant, collided with a school bus while driving a minivan, overturning the bus in an incident that killed one child and injured 23 more. Joseph did not have a valid U.S. driver’s license and was reportedly sentenced to nine to 13.5 years in prison in May.
Tangent
Right-wing commentators and supporters of former President Donald Trump’s election bid have used the pet-eating allegations as a rallying cry for Trump’s campaign, creating artificial intelligence-generated images portraying Trump as saving pet cats. Musk garnered more than 27 million views on a post he made, in which he reposted an image the House Judiciary Committee Republicans shared, depicting Trump embracing a cat and a duck. In another post viewed more than 1 million times, Cheong shared an image of Trump running away from Haitian immigrants with cats in his hands, claiming “Springfield has one hope.”
Further Reading
Springfield police say no reports of pets stolen, after viral social media post (Springfield News-Sun)
How an Ohio Town Landed in the Middle of the Immigration Debate (New York Times)
How Springfield, Ohio, took center stage in the election immigration debate (NPR)