The Trump campaign falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of abducting and eating pets

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and his allies are amplifying false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were abducting and eating pets, another instance of the inflammatory and anti-immigrant rhetoric Trump has promoted throughout his campaigns.

There’s no evidence that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio community are doing that, officials say, but Trump’s campaign and vice presidential nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance, along with other Republicans this week, repeated the claims.

Trump’s campaign, which has hit Vice President Kamala Harris for her leadership role in President Joe Biden’s administration on the U.S.-Mexico border, issued a press release Monday, the day before Tuesday’s presidential debate, suggesting “Kamala Migrants Ravage Ohio City.” Vance, Trump’s running mate, posted Tuesday that his office has “received many inquiries” about Haitian migrants abducting pets.

Vance acknowledged Tuesday it was possible “all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”

Officials have said there have been no credible or detailed reports about the claims, even as Trump and his allies use them to amplify racist stereotypes about Black and brown immigrants.

While president, Trump questioned why the U.S. would accept people from so-called “s—-hole” countries like Haiti and places in Africa. His 2024 campaign has focused heavily on illegal immigration, often referencing in his speeches crimes committed by migrants. He argues immigrants are responsible for driving up crime and drug abuse in the United States and taking resources from American citizens.

Here’s a closer look at how the false claims have spread.

How did this get started?

On Sept. 6, a post surfaced on X that shared what looked like a screengrab of a social media post apparently out of Springfield, Ohio. The retweeted post talked about the person’s “neighbor’s daughter’s friend” seeing a cat hanging from a tree to be butchered and eaten, claiming without evidence that Haitians lived at the house. The accompanying photo showed a Black man carrying what appeared to be a Canada goose by its feet. That post continued to get shared on social media.

On Monday, Vance posted on X. “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?” he said. The next day, Vance posted again on X about Springfield, saying his office had received inquires from residents who said “their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants. It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”

Other Republicans shared similar posts. Among them was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who posted a photo of kittens with a caption that said to vote for Trump “So Haitian immigrants don’t eat us.”

Hours before Trump’s debate with Harris on Tuesday, the former president posted two related photos on his social media site. One Truth Social post was a photo of Trump surrounded by cats and geese. Another featured armed cats wearing MAGA hats.

What do officials in Ohio say?

Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck’s office issued a statement knocking the rumors down.

“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,” Heck’s office said in an emailed statement.

Springfield police on Monday told the Springfield News-Sun that they had received no reports of stolen or eaten pets.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine held a news conference Tuesday to address the influx of Haitian immigrants to Springfield. He declined to address the allegations, deferring comment to local officials. But DeWine repeatedly spoke in support of the people of Haiti, where his family has long operated a charity.

What do we know about a separate case 175 miles (281 km) away?

An entirely unrelated incident that occurred last month in Canton, Ohio, got quickly — and erroneously — conflated into the discussion.

On Aug. 26, Canton police charged a 27-year-old woman with animal cruelty and disorderly conduct after she “did torture, kill, and eat a cat in a residential area in front (of) multiple people,” according to a police report.

But Allexis Ferrell is not Haitian. She was born in Ohio and graduated from Canton’s McKinley High School in 2015, according to public records and newspaper reports. Court records show she has been in and out of trouble with the law since at least 2017. Messages seeking comment were not returned by several attorneys who have represented her.

She is being held in Stark County jail pending a competency hearing next month, according to the prosecutor’s office.

What do advocates for Haitian immigrants say?

The posts create a false narrative and could be dangerous for Haitians in the United States, according to Guerline Jozef, founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a group that supports and advocates for immigrants of African descent

“We are always at the receiving end of all kind of barbaric, inhumane narratives and treatments, specifically when it comes to immigration,” Jozef said in a phone interview.

Her comments echoed White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

“There will be people that believe it, no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is,” Kirby said. “And they might act on that kind of information, and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt. So it needs to stop.”

What is the broader context of Haitians in Ohio and the United States?

Springfield, Ohio, a city of roughly 60,000, has seen its Haitian population grow in recent years. It’s impossible to give an exact number, according to the city, but it estimates Springfield’s entire county has an overall immigrant population of 15,000.

The city also says that the Haitian immigrants are in the country legally under a federal program that allows for them to remain in the country temporarily. Last month the Biden administration granted eligibility for temporary legal status to about 300,000 Haitians already in the United States because conditions in Haiti are considered unsafe for them to return. Haiti’s government has extended a state of emergency to the entire country due to endemic gang violence.

Another factor that’s cropping up, including being raised by Trump in an email Monday, is the August 2023 death of an 11-year-old boy who died after a vehicle driven by an immigrant from Haiti hit his school bus. After that, residents demanding answers about the immigrant community spoke out at city council meetings.

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Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey, and Shipkowski from Toms River, New Jersey.

Mike Catalini, Julie Carr Smyth And Bruce Shipkowski, The Associated Press