SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) — The internet is debating a town in Ohio, and even former President Donald Trump joined in with extreme claims about immigration during Tuesday’s debate.
During his Confrontation with current Vice President Kamala HarrisIn an interview with DW, Trump referred to allegations that immigrants in Springfield were eating pets.
“In Springfield, they eat the dogs,” Trump said. “The people who came here eat the cats. They eat, they eat the pets of the people who live there.”
In doing so, he joins others such as Elon Musk, who on Monday repeated on X a Republican strategist’s claim that 20,000 Haitian immigrants had moved in and were killing and eating residents’ animals.
“Vote Kamala if you want this to happen to your neighborhood!” Musk wrote, later sharing an AI-generated image of a duckling and a kitten with the caption “Save them.”
Musk echoed a similar claim made by Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance (Republican, Ohio) on Monday morning. Vance, who grew up an hour from Springfield, repeated the same claim on X that “people have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
About half an hour after Vance’s release, the Ohio Attorney General’s office announced that it would explore legal options to stop the U.S. government from “sending an unlimited number of migrants into Ohio communities.” Dave Yost commented on the strain on Springfield’s economic, medical and educational systems, alluding to a School bus accident 2023 in which a student died.
“The problem is not the migrants, but the far, far too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost wrote.
In a press conference Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine acknowledged that Springfield recently received an “unprecedented” influx of about 15,000 Haitian immigrants, putting a strain on health care providers, translators and the availability of rental housing. He did not repeat claims of animal kidnappings or other immigrant behavior, but also did not condemn what other Republicans have said.
“As for other things that might happen in the community, I would reach out to the local officials who have spoken out,” DeWine said.
DeWine announced he would direct the Ohio State Highway Patrol to send patrol officers to assist Springfield police with traffic problems, including “erratic” driving. He also said he would provide $2.5 million to the Ohio Department of Health over the next two years to assist the Clark County Health Department handle an increased need for medical care.
“The goal is to reduce dangerous driving, regardless of who the driver is,” DeWine said. “I’m not against this program. What I am saying, however, is that with this program, there has to be a plan to prevent situations like the one in Springfield. When they occur, we clearly need help from the federal government.”
Even at the local level, city officials tell a different story than Musk and Vance’s claims.
Claims that pets are eaten by immigrants
The allegations stem from the city of Springfield’s own statement that its population has “sharply increased,” “primarily due to the influx of legal immigrants.” The people from Haiti, which is considered one of the poorest developing countries in the world, were granted ephemeral protected status by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, allowing them to stay in the U.S. due to conditions on the Caribbean island nation.
Nexstars WCMH reached out to the City of Springfield to hear their thoughts on the allegations of animal eating. An official was unable to answer specific questions due to a flood of media inquiries, but did provide a statement.
“In response to recent rumors that immigrants are engaging in criminal activity in our city, we want to clarify that there are no credible reports or specific allegations that pets belonging to individuals from the immigrant community have been injured or mistreated,” a Springfield spokeswoman wrote. “In addition, there are no confirmed cases of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or dumping garbage in front of residents’ homes. In addition, there are no reports that members of the immigrant community have intentionally obstructed traffic.”
Springfield police confirmed the city’s report and told the Springfield News-Sun that officers do not receive local reports of stolen or eaten petsInvestigators said the viral story originated in a Springfield Facebook group, where the poster pointed out that a neighbor’s daughter’s friend had found her cat hanging from a tree branch in a Haitian neighbor’s house.
Police in another Ohio city were alerted to a similar incident but did not release any details suggesting the suspect was a Haitian immigrant. Nexstar’s WJW reported that Cantonal officials arrested 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell after being accused of killing and eating a cat.
During a public hearing at a Springfield City Commission meeting on August 13, several residents spoke out about what was happening in their city. One woman did not repeat the allegation about the pets, but said she and her husband were considering moving away because she had observed the behavior of people who had been labeled as squatters.
“It’s so unsafe in my neighborhood. I have homeless people who have tried to camp here and I’ve compromised with them… I have men in my front yard who don’t speak English, yelling at me and throwing mattresses in my front yard,” the woman said. “I understand they’re here under temporary protected status… but who’s protecting us?”
How many immigrants arrived in Springfield?
A section on the city of Springfield’s website provided context to social media users’ claims that 20,000 Haitian immigrants have flooded the area. City officials relied on several data sets to estimate that the immigrant population is slightly lower, but called it “impossible” to give an exact number.
“Based on data from numerous sources, including the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Springfield City Schools, regional health care providers and social services, the total immigrant population in Clark County is estimated to be approximately 12,000 to 15,000,” the city’s website states.
Mayor Rob Rue gave a contradictory number During an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” he said the city’s public services were overwhelmed with the 14,000 to 20,000 migrants the city had taken in. Before the immigration situation, Springfield had a population of 58,662, according to the 2020 census.
According to the mayor and city, the potential thousands of dollars are having a physical impact in certain places in Springfield. The New York Times reported that around 350 up-to-date students, mostly from immigrant families, have been admitted to local elementary and middle schools. Because of the language barrier, Springfield City Schools had to hire six Creole translators to assist, bringing the district’s spending on these services to $436,000, up from $43,000 four years earlier.
Another resident, who attended the same City Commission meeting on August 13 and acknowledged “growing pains” with the up-to-date neighbors, disagreed with the issues raised by some other commenters.
“Newcomers I know are receptive to kindness and want to help themselves to the best of their ability,” the man said. “Our community has been experiencing population decline for nearly 70 years. We need more and new people.”
A fatal incident involving a school bus driver
Joseph was driving a minivan on August 22, 2023, when he crashed into a school bus with 52 elementary school students to the Northwestern Local Schools district. He did not have a U.S. driver’s license, but did have a valid Mexican driver’s license, investigators said. The accident left more than 20 students hospitalized, and 11-year-old Aidan Clark died after being thrown from the bus.
Yost’s office cited the accident as part of the local complaints that prompted his investigation. The accident even caught the attention of the New York Times, which reported that the legal Haitian immigrant’s accident had increased local resentment.
A jury ultimately found Joseph guilty for manslaughter, and a judge condemned him to nine to 13 years in prison.
