‘They’re eating the dogs’: Trump echoes false anti-immigrant rumor during debate

During Tuesday’s presidential debate, former President Donald Trump promoted the falsehood that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating people’s pets.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating... they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said.

Springfield city officials have dismissed these accounts as untrue and that they have not received any credible reports of these claims. Springfield police also told a local news outlet they have received no reports of pets being stolen and eaten.

Republican vice presidential candidate and Sen. JD Vance has accused Haitian migrants of causing chaos in his home state of Ohio, including allegations that they are responsible for stealing residents’ cats and eating them, and causing diseases like TB and HIV to rise in numbers.

“In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants,” Vance said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Do you know what’s confirmed? That a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant who had no right to be here. That local health services have been overwhelmed. That communicable diseases--like TB and HIV--have been on the rise,” Vance continued.

The claims have prompted local officials to come out and disprove these reports, but some Republicans have continued to echo these claims.

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Cat killing in Canton, Ohio sparks rumors with conservatives

A 27-year-old woman was arrested in August in Canton after police said she likely killed and ate a cat in a “residential area in front of multiple people,” according to an arrest report obtained by USA TODAY.

Canton is located about 170 miles northeast of Springfield, where Vance has accused Haitian immigrants of causing damages.

The woman involved in the case was not a Haitian immigrant but an Ohio resident, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Despite local officials’ efforts to debunk the pet-eating rumors, Trump’s campaign and Republican party leaders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have continued to spread the claims.

No cats or pets have been harmed by immigrants

Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck said there’s no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants.

“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,” the statement said.

It also addressed other rumors circulating online:

“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.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump pushes false claim about immigrants eating dogs in Springfield