Trump and JD Vance repeat unfounded claim that Haitian immigrants eat pets, although Ohio officials say there is no evidence of this

Officials in Springfield, Ohio, said Monday they had not received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants kidnapping and eating pets, despite viral claims on social media that were amplified by former President Donald Trump, the Republican vice presidential nominee. JD Vance and other.

References to the claim that Haitian migrants ate cats, as well as ducks and geese, have garnered millions of views on X; Vance's X post alone had 10.7 million views by Tuesday evening. Vancethe Republican senator for Ohio, said he had previously raised the issue of Haitian immigrants “causing chaos throughout Springfield,” adding, “Reports say the pets have been kidnapped and eaten by people who do not belong in this country.”

Trump repeated the baseless claim in Debate on Tuesday evening with Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

“In Springfield, they eat the dogs — the people who came here, they eat the cats. They eat — they eat the pets of the people who live there, and that's what's happening in our country, and it's a disgrace,” Trump said. When ABC anchor David Muir responded that city officials denied this, Trump insisted he had seen people on television saying this.

Republican House Attorney General Sen. Ted Cruz and Elon Musk, the owner of X, also posted about the claim on social media on Monday. Cruz, a Texas Republican, posted a meme on X showing two cats hugging each other with the text: “Please vote for Trump so Haitian immigrants don't eat us.”

But a city spokesman told CBS News there were “no credible reports or concrete allegations” that migrants' pets had been harmed.

“In response to recent rumors that the immigrant population in our city is engaging in criminal activity, we want to clarify that there are no credible reports or specific allegations that pets belonging to individuals in the immigrant community have been harmed, injured or mistreated,” said Karen Graves, Strategic Engagement Manager for Springfield.

Leann Castillo, executive director of the Clark County Park District, said there is “no evidence or reports” of people eating domestic or wild animals in Clark County parks.

“People have contacted us and asked, but we are not aware of anything like this happening,” Castillo said.

The claim

While it's not clear where the claim originated, the Springfield News-Sun reported that it may be related to a viral post in a Springfield Facebook group.

In the Facebook post, a person claims that a neighbor's daughter's friend lost her cat and later found it hanging from a tree branch near a Haitian neighbor's home, according to the Springfield News-Sun. Screenshots of the post circulated on X and other platforms, garnering thousands of likes and views.

The post appears to be in a private Facebook group; CBS News was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the post.

Some social media users shared body camera footage of an unrelated incident in which an Ohio woman was accused of killing and eating a cat in Canton, a city more than 170 miles (270 kilometers) from Springfield. Public records show that the woman in the footage, Allexis Telia Ferrell, is not an immigrant and has lived in Ohio for at least 18 years.

Social media users also share AI images in connection with the claim about Haitian migrants. An AI-generated image shows Trump holding a cat in each arm and running through a crowd of black people. The caption reads: “The kittens of Springfield have only one hope.”

Springfield, a city of just under 58,000 residents, has seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants in recent years.

Clark County, Ohio, is home to an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 migrants, more than 10,000 of whom are from Haiti, according to local authorities. The Springfield-based Haitian Community Help and Support Center was established in 2023 to assist migrants, particularly Haitians, arriving in Clark County.

In addition to denying rumors that the pets had been harmed, the city spokesman said there were no confirmed cases of migrants occupying homes, leaving garbage behind or intentionally obstructing traffic.