False
The first, and most likely only, debate between the two United States presidential candidates for the upcoming election took place on Sept. 10, 2024. During this debate, former President and current candidate for the republican party, Donald Trump, brought up claims of pets being eaten by immigrants, mentioning Springfield, OH, specifically. Such claims have also been widely spread by Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.
During the debate, moderator David Muir correctly intervened with the fact that no credible reports have been received of any such event taking place in Springfield. J.D. Vance would continue to push these claims after the debate on social media despite a staffer of his confirming with the Springfield City Manager, Bryan Heck, that the claims were false.
While no origin of the rumor can for sure be pinned down, it is likely that such claims originated from a Facebook post made by a Springfield resident, where she claimed she thought her neighbor’s cat had gone missing due to their Haitian neighbors. The cat was later found alive and well.
An incident also took place in Canton, OH, 170 miles from Springfield, which some claim to be evidence of these rumors. In this incident, 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell was arrested after multiple calls to the police department claimed she had killed a cat and began to attempt to eat it. Officers claim she had blood on her feet and fur on her lips when they apprehended her. Not only was this far away from Springfield, but records show Ferrell has been a resident of Canton for 18 years, and is also not of Haitian descent, let alone an immigrant. Regardless, the body cam footage of this event has often been used as evidence of the false claims.
Also being used to help spread these false narratives was an image of a Black man walking down the street and carrying two geese. The photo was posted to Reddit on July 28, with the original poster claiming to have posted it because he simply found it bizarre. The photo was revealed to not have even been taken in Springfield, but rather Columbus, OH. The man was later revealed to not be a Haitian immigrant and, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, was simply removing the geese from the road after they were struck by a car.
Other major influential figures have weighed in on perpetuating the false rumors, such as Elon Musk, who simply replied “!!” to a post on X (formerly Twitter) referencing the photo of the man holding a goose. The post itself falsely claimed that over 20,000 Haitian immigrants had overwhelmed the city and eaten its wildlife. The number of immigrants was also incorrect, as the city of Springfield’s website estimates their immigrant population to be around 12,000 to 15,000. The website also emphasizes that the immigrants are there legally. Elon Musk has also regularly interacted with accounts on X such as “End Wokeness,” who have also regularly perpetuated false information and conspiracy theories about the Haitian population in Springfield.
