Springfield, Ohio officials are refuting unfounded allegations that Haitian migrants have been eating pets. The controversy began when Senator J.D. Vance made the claim on X (formerly Twitter) on September 9.
Karen Graves, the strategic engagement manager for Springfield, told PEOPLE that the city has not received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants abducting or consuming pets.
On September 9, Vance, who is running as a Republican vice presidential candidate, tweeted that Haitian immigrants have been causing chaos in Springfield. He claimed that reports indicated people’s pets had been abducted and eaten by migrants.
The tweet has since garnered over 5 million views, with prominent figures like Elon Musk and Senator Ted Cruz sharing memes about the allegations.
Graves stated that there have been “no credible reports or specific claims” of harm to pets by migrants. She emphasized that rumors of criminal activities such as squatting, littering, or disrupting traffic by immigrants are unfounded.
The origins of the false claim are unclear, but the Springfield News-Sun suggests it may stem from a viral post in a local Facebook group. This post allegedly described a neighbor’s cat found deceased near a Haitian neighbor’s house. The post appears to have been conflated with unrelated body camera footage from an incident involving a woman in Canton, Ohio, who was not a migrant.
Social media users have also circulated AI-generated images related to these claims. One popular image shows Vance’s running mate, former President Donald Trump, holding two cats, captioned, “The kittens of Springfield have only one hope.”
Springfield has seen an increase in migrants in recent years, with around 12,000 to 15,000 in Clark County, Ohio. These migrants, including those from Haiti, are legally present under the Immigration Parole Program.
Civil rights groups, including the Springfield NAACP, have criticized the racist rhetoric surrounding the issue. Denice D. Williams of the Springfield NAACP called the situation “embarrassing.”
Officer Jason Via, deputy director of public safety and operations in Springfield, told NPR that there is no evidence supporting these racist claims. He described the spreading of such rumors as harmful and frustrating, noting that reports of migrants engaging in unusual or illegal activities have not been substantiated.