U.S. Senator JD Vance (Ohio), the Republican vice-presidential nominee, admitted Sunday that he fabricated claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating pets in order to attract media attention.
His admission follows weeks of escalating tensions in the town, which has been plagued by bomb threats, school closures, and extremist group activity, all stemming from the baseless accusations promoted by both Vance and Donald Trump.
During an interview on CNN, Vance openly acknowledged his role in spreading the false narrative.
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Vance stated. He admitted that the claims about Haitian migrants eating pets were part of his strategy to draw attention to the issues in Springfield.
The unfounded accusations, which gained traction after Trump mentioned them during a debate, have been repeatedly debunked by local authorities. Trump falsely claimed, “They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.” No evidence has ever supported this assertion, but the damage has already been done.
The lies have led to a string of disturbing events in Springfield, including bomb threats that forced several public schools to evacuate, death threats aimed at city officials, and Ku Klux Klan recruitment flyers being distributed in the area. Local law enforcement and leaders have condemned the rhetoric, with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine calling the story “a piece of garbage that was simply not true.”
Despite the widespread harm caused by the baseless allegations, Vance has continued to defend his actions, claiming that he was trying to raise awareness of the struggles faced by Springfield amid a growing influx of migrants. However, local officials have made it clear that while the town has faced challenges, the false claims have only served to incite fear and violence.
The Springfield Police Division expressed frustration over the situation.
“I think it’s sad that some people are using this as an opportunity to spread hate or spread fear,” Deputy Director of Public Safety and Operations Jason Via told NPR. “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.”
Even as the claims have been debunked, they continue to spread among Trump and Vance supporters, with the two Republican leaders using them to justify harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric. Vance’s admission that he knowingly spread false information has drawn outrage, yet it has done little to quell the unrest his words helped ignite.
