(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has stepped in to dispel rumors that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield — an unsubstantiated claim amplified by former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance and other Republicans in recent days.
“I think we should take the word of the city manager and the mayor that they’ve found no credible evidence of that story of Haitians eating pets,” DeWine told local reporters who questioned him at an unrelated event on Wednesday.
Reporters asked the governor if he was dismayed that the leader of his party, Trump, is repeating the unsubstantiated rumors that largely stem from a viral social media post in a local Facebook group in which the poster wrote that their neighbor’s daughter’s friend had lost her cat.
“Look, my job is to tell what the facts are and what we’re seeing and I rely, frankly, on Mayor [Rob] Rue, the other officials, and county officials,” DeWine responded. “Look, they’re the ones who are there, they’re the ones who know what’s going on.”
A spokesperson for the city of Springfield previously told ABC News the claims that migrants are eating residents’ cats and dogs are false, and that there have been “no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community.”
Still, Trump brought up the rumor while on the debate stage with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday when asked a question about immigration.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said on Tuesday night.
The Ohio town estimates there are up to 15,000 immigrants living in the city, which has put a strain on some resources. The city, in a FAQ page on its website, explained that the Haitian population is in the U.S. legally under the Immigration Parole Program.
DeWine earlier this week announced the state would send more resources to Springfield, which is grappling with the rapid influx of Haitian migrants over the last few years. His office said local primary caregivers have been impacted due to increased number of patients and lack of translation services. DeWine has authorized $2.5 million to go toward expanding primary care access for the city of Springfield.
“In general, migrants from Haiti have had little to no healthcare services prior to arriving in the United States, including vaccinations,” the press release said.
Now, Springfield is also dealing with the fallout of the pet controversy.
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck addressed the issue in a video posted to Facebook.
“It is disappointing that some of the narratives surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric,” Heck said. “While we are experiencing challenges related to the rapid growth of our immigrant population, these challenges are primarily due to the pace of the growth, rather than the growth, rather than the rumors being reported.”
ABC News’ Alex Presha and Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
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