JD Vance defends baseless rumor about Haitian immigrants eating pets

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday reiterated false claims about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio.

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday reiterated false claims about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio. Asked to support his claims in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” Vance pointed to what he said are firsthand accounts from constituents who have told him this is happening, though he didn’t provide the evidence. “The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. 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 said. Bash replied, “You just said that this is a story that you created.” Vance said, “It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it. I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.” The city of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, and that Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States.