Officials in Springfield, Ohio are refuting a baseless claim that Haitian migrants have been eating pets, which Sen.
J.D. Vance shared on X on Monday, Sept. 9.
Karen Graves, strategic engagement manager for Springfield, told PEOPLE the city has not received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.
Though it is unclear where exactly the false claim comes from,
Springfield News-Sun reported that it's probably linked to a viral post in a private Springfield Facebook group. The post reportedly included a claim that one neighbor's daughter's friend lost her cat and then allegedly found the deceased cat hanging from a branch near a Haitian neighbor's house, per the
Springfield News-Sun.
Social media users then recirculated body camera footage of an unrelated incident of an Ohio woman being accused of killing and eating a cat in Canton, a city more than 170 miles away from Springfield. The woman was identified and is not a migrant, having lived in Ohio for at least 18 years, per
CBS News.
JD Vance repeated baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating pets on Sept. 9, prompting state officials, including a representative for Springfield, to refute the claims.
people.com
JD Vance repeated baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating pets on Sept. 9, prompting state officials, including a representative for Springfield, to refute the claims.
people.com
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