‘They’re Eating The Dogs’: Trump Stokes Disputed Claims That Haitian Migrants in Ohio Are Eating Neighborhood Pets
Trump doubled down on his claim even after the moderator pointed out that Springfield’s city manager had disputed it.
President Trump, during his first debate with Vice President Harris, restokes disputed claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio are stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets.
While responding to a question about immigration, Trump named the small Ohio town as a casualty of Biden-Harris’s failed immigration policy, claiming that, “In Springfield they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said, adding, “this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
Trump doubled down on his claim even after a moderator pointed out that Springfield officials, including the city manager, had said they’d received no complaints and that no such reports had been made to local police. The 45th president retorted by suggesting “maybe that’s a good thing to say for a city manager.”
His comments echo those of his running mate, Senator Vance, who shared the allegations on social media this week. After the city denounced the claims, Mr. Vance claimed that he had received “many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants.”
The senator did not offer details on whether the calls or emails included evidence of violence being committed against pets, and noted that “it’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
In the past four years, Springfield, Ohio — which, in 2020, housed around 58,000 residents — has taken in nearly 20,000 Haitian migrants, most of whom have immigrated legally. The town’s Haitian migrants are credited by local businesses with helping to reignite Springfield’s lagging economy post pandemic.
However, the influx of migrants has also placed strain on the town’s resources, leading to overcrowding in local schools and hospitals. Over the summer, Springfield’s city manager, Bryan Heck, claimed that the city was facing “a significant housing crisis,” and wrote a letter to Senators Scott and Brown requesting federal financial aid.
