The claim was repeated by former President Donald Trump during Tuesday's presidential debate .
"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in," Trump said. "They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. This is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."
Republicans, including Sen. JD Vance , the vice presidential candidate, have made Springfield, Ohio's growing Haitian population a major issue in the presidential race. But are claims that they are eating pets true?
Here's a look at the issue.
Springfield, Ohio, officials: 'No credible reports' of crime by Haitian migrants; no cats or dogs have been harmed
Springfield, an industrial town of about 58,000 just northeast of Dayton, has seen its Haitian population swell to 15,000 to 20,000 in recent years, according to a previous Cincinnati Enquirer article . City Manager Bryan Heck wrote to U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Tim Scott asking for support to ease a “significant housing crisis” in the city.
Referencing that letter, Vance said immigrants were overburdening Springfield's services and housing. Vance's statements caused stories on social media to explode, which quickly turned into allegations against immigrants that aren't true, per the Springfield Police Department and Heck's office, as the Springfield News-Sun reported .
Vance helped spread the rumor on social media about pets being eaten, which was refuted by Heck. The city manager released a statement saying there's no evidence of any cats or other pets being harmed or eaten by the Haitian immigrants. The statement also refuted rumors that immigrants were involved in "illegal activities such as squatting or littering" or "deliberately disrupting traffic."
Springfield Haitians, other residents respond to being at center of immigration debate
With Springfield in the spotlight amid misinformation about immigrants eating pets and wild geese, how are residents and the local Haitian population managing?
Alimemby Estimable is bemused by rumors that Haitians were shipped to Springfield and the people from Haiti in Springfield are there legally because of the federal program for temporary protected status , the Columbus Dispatch is reporting .
Estimable, 19, moved to Springfield four years ago and is a graduate of Springfield High School. He works at an Amazon warehouse and said he's been called a "dirty Haitian" and an "illegal."
"The majority of us, we work in warehouses, factories. You can't work there illegally. Obviously, we're legally working," he told the Dispatch.
Other residents say the city and county are overwhelmed and wish the Haitian population was "evenly dispersed" among Ohio counties. Some say Haitians are unfairly scapegoated and an easy target, per the Dispatch.
"Someone's cat comes up missing? They gonna say the Haitians did it," Joe Ruck, a co-owner of Champion City Cuts Barber Shop in Springfield, told the Dispatch.
Columbus man says he regrets taking photo being weaponized by right-wing media against immigrants
Photos and video being taken out of context or wholly misidentified are being used to spread misinformation about Haitian immigrants in Ohio.
One such photo shows a man carrying a dead goose in Columbus. It's being used as proof by right-wing figures falsely claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets and wildlife. The man who took the photo, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells the Columbus Dispatch he now regrets it.
"I wish I never took it, for sure. And I hate that the picture that I took is being weaponized to use against immigrants, or really, any other group. They always have to have somebody to use as a weapon. Some group to be the bad guy," he said.
Things you see while driving in CBUS
by u/isitmeyourelooking4x in Columbus
The photo depicts a person carrying a seemingly dead goose down Cleveland Avenue in Columbus. A Google Street View of the photo's background shows the photo was taken in Columbus, and not Springfield, as some right-wing accounts have claimed.
The photo was shared to the Columbus subreddit, but got picked up by several right-wing X profiles as alleged proof of the claims.
Video of Ohio woman accused of eating cat is from Canton, Ohio, not Springfield
Likewise, video posted on YouTube by the "Fake News Network" that is titled "Haitian Woman Eats Neighbour's Cat in Springfield" falsely claims to show police officers confronting a Haitian woman in Springfield about eating a cat, the Canton Repository reports .
However, what the video actually shows is police department bodycam footage of Canton officers at the scene of the Aug. 16 incident in Canton. It's part of an ongoing court case about a 27-year-old Canton resident accused of killing and eating a cat .
Allexis T. Ferrell is charged with cruelty to companion animals, a fifth-degree felony. It is alleged she killed the cat by stomping on its head before eating it. She has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and is being held on $100,000.
"Ferrell was first arrested in Canton in 2011," Canton police spokesman Lt. Dennis Garren wrote in an email to the Repository. "We have no reason to believe that she is not a US citizen."
Trump also mentions Venezuelan gangs in Aurora, Colorado. Are his claims accurate?
Along with Springfield, Trump name-dropped Aurora, Colorado, in Tuesday's speech, claiming that criminal immigrants “are taking over the towns, they are taking over buildings, they are going in violently.”
Trump was referring to the presence of Venezuelan gangs in that city, at least his third mention of it in recent weeks, according to The Denverite .
The Denverite reports that the claims can be traced to allegations made by the landlord of several apartment buildings that Venezuelan gang members have “taken over,” trying to kick out managers and extort payments from residents. While local officials say the gang Tren de Aragua has a presence in metro Denver, they claim it is relatively small.
Other complaints of crime from the buildings also have arisen, the Denverite reports, including one from a woman who shared a video with local media showing armed men entering an apartment. She told CBS News that she witnessed shootouts as well as people with automatic weapons and said the police did little.
However, many apartment residents say the talk of gang control is false or exaggerated, the Denverite reports. At a press conference, some said the video of armed men was a “one-time” event.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: The truth about Springfield, Ohio: Are immigrants eating dogs as Trump says? What to know
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