Trump claims: Migrants in Springfield eating pets, officials deny
During the presidential debate, Donald Trump claimed that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are kidnapping and eating household pets. The debate moderator immediately refuted him, pointing out that local authorities and police have no such reports.
11 September 2024 09:17
During the debate, Donald Trump argued that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating domestic and wild animals.
"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. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame."
The ABC News moderator interrupted Trump and stated that they had contacted the mayor of Springfield. Authorities confirmed they had no records of such incidents and that the viral story about the "eaten cat" originated from a completely different city.
Trump defended himself by saying he got his information from a resident's statement on television. "People on television say, 'My dog was taken and used for food" - he persisted.
Republicans spread the rumour, authorities deny
As media describe, a post appeared on the X platform on 6th September, claiming that someone had seen a cat hanging from a tree being eaten by Haitian migrants. A picture showing a black man carrying a Canadian goose was also posted.
Trump's vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance wrote on Monday that there are reports of "animals being taken and eaten by people who should not be in this country." In another post, he argued that his team is receiving many complaints about animals being eaten by Haitians.
City manager Bryan Heck released a statement denying that such incidents had occurred.
"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," he wrote.
Furthermore, local police reported that they had not received any reports of stolen or eaten animals.
The media point out that there was, however, an incident recently related to eating animals. Last month in Canton, Ohio, a 27-year-old woman was arrested for torturing, killing, and then eating a cat. However, she was not a migrant from Haiti.
