The claim: Haitian migrants are 'decapitating ducks in parks' and eating cats in Springfield, Ohio
A Sept. 9 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows a video of a man making claims about Haitian migrants in Ohio.
“Haitian migrants are reportedly decapitating and eating ducks in the park and eating domesticated cats in Springfield, Ohio,” reads the post, echoing a claim made by the man in the video. “Is this what we want America to look like and become?”
The claim in the Facebook post echoes comments made by JD Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, in a Sept. 9 post on X , formerly Twitter.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote. “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
Trump also made similar allegations during his first presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10.
The Facebook post was shared more than 400 times in two days. A similar Instagram post was liked more than 3,000 times in two days.
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Our rating: False
There is no evidence Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, did any such thing. A spokesperson said the city hasn’t had any substantiated reports of ducks being killed, nor have there been any credible reports of other animals, including cats, being harmed.
No evidence of Haitian migrants harming ducks in Ohio city
About 10,000 to 15,000 Haitian migrants have moved to Springfield over the past five years, the Springfield News-Sun reported. They’re living in the city legally under the Immigration Parole Program, which allows Haitians to live and work in the U.S. while Haiti copes with political instability and natural disasters.
But there is no evidence they are killing and eating ducks and pets.
Multiple officials in Springfield , a city of about 58,000 people in central Ohio, have said there is no evidence of Haitian migrants harming or eating any dogs, cats or other pets. Karen Graves , a spokesperson for the city, told USA TODAY that they “have not received any substantiated reports of duck mutilation.”
Fact check : Migrants approached school buses, did not try to 'hijack' them
Jason Via , deputy director of public safety and operations for the Springfield Police Department, told NPR in August that police in the city have heard a variety of unfounded claims about Haitian migrants, and he specifically called out the claim about ducks supposedly being harmed in the city’s parks.
“I think it's sad that some people are using this as an opportunity to spread hate or spread fear,” Via said. “We get these reports 'the Haitians are killing ducks in a lot of our parks' or 'the Haitians are eating vegetables right out of the aisle at the grocery store'. And we haven't really seen any of that. It's really frustrating. As a community, it's not helpful as we try to move forward.”
City Manager Bryan Heck said in a statement, “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community," USA TODAY previously reported.
In a video released Sept. 11, Heck said he was disappointed the narrative about the city had “been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and amplified by political rhetoric.”
“While we are experiencing challenges related to the rapid growth of our immigrant population, these challenges are primarily due to the pace of growth rather than the rumors being reported,” he said. “These rumors will not distract us from addressing the true strain on our resources, including the impact to our schools, health care system and first responders.”
There was one incident in Canton, Ohio – about 170 miles northeast of Springfield – that involved a 27-year-old woman arrested in August on suspicion of killing and eating a cat, the Canton Repository reported. The suspect is not Haitian, according to the Associated Press .
A recording of a call to dispatchers in Ohio’s Clark County – where Springfield is located – and a “call detail report” circulating on social media indicate that on Aug. 26 a man reported seeing four Haitian migrants taking geese. The report doesn’t say police ever tracked down the geese or found the four Haitian migrants the caller claimed were carrying them away.
But at a Sept. 11 county meeting, Clark County Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was unable to find any evidence for the claim, the Springfield Sun-News reported.
“No videos have surfaced, no pictures have surfaced, no dead geese have surfaced; there’s nothing to substantiate that it’s happening,” Rittenhouse said.
At the same meeting, Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Scott Cultice said the Aug. 26 call was the only such report in 11 months of call records. Rittenhouse said she rode along with an Ohio Department of Natural Resources to investigate the claims, and she learned no evidence was found to support the caller’s report.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- Karen Graves , Sept. 11, Email exchange with USA TODAY
- NPR, Aug. 12, How Springfield, Ohio, took center stage in the election immigration debate
- USA TODAY, Sept. 10, ‘They’re eating the dogs’: Trump echoes false anti-immigrant rumor during debate
- Canton Repository, Aug. 17, Canton woman accused of killing, eating cat after 'stomping its head'
- Springfield News-Sun, Sept. 9, Ohio AG rips Springfield immigration, eyes lawsuit; local leaders talk solutions
- Springfield News-Sun, Sept. 11, County: No evidence of August claim that Haitians took geese at Springfield park
- Associated Press, Sept. 10, Trump falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of abducting and eating pets
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Haitian migrants aren’t ‘decapitating ducks’ in Springfield, Ohio | Fact check
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