Leaders of a small Ohio town where Donald Trump’s campaign has raised claims that migrants eat animals and perform animal sacrifices say the allegations are untrue.
In the statement to Newsweek Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for Springfield, a city of 58,000 outside Dayton, said there were “no credible reports” of pets or other animals being destroyed or abused by members of the large immigrant community there.
The clarification came after rumors circulated in recent days that migrants, particularly members of the large Haitian diaspora, had been killing and eating animals and other animals.
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“In response to recent rumors of criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we want to clarify that there are no credible reports or specific claims about animals being hurt, harmed or abused by individuals in the immigrant community,” the statement read. .
The story began with a post on a private Facebook page, where a woman claimed a Haitian had taken her friend’s cat, hung it on a tree and carved it up to eat.
In August, a woman in Canton, about 200 miles away, was arrested after allegedly killing a cat and eating it in her home. But the woman, 27-year-old Allexis Telia Ferrell, is an American citizen.
Although the incident was reported, rumors began to circulate online over the weekend and early Monday, fueled by conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, as well as Senators Ted Cruz and JD Vance, Trump’s running mate.
Rumors of the duck’s broken neck also became a talking point around Springfield, leading to a viral image of Trump’s AI-general saving the animal from harm.
Vance and others have used the rumor to continue the Trump campaign’s attacks that the Biden administration’s border policies are failing.
Then on Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost ordered his office to “investigate legal means” to stop new migrant arrivals, saying they are a drain on resources.
“The problem is not the migrants, but too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost said in a press release. “The problem is that the population is growing without communication or assistance from the federal government.”
Yost also claimed that migrants caused car accidents, stole livestock and killed wildlife for food, which the city also denied.
“In addition, there have been no verified cases of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the spokesperson said. Newsweek.
“Furthermore, no reports have been made of members of the immigrant community intentionally disrupting traffic.”
A migrant was actually involved in a high-profile fatal car accident last year, when the driver of a minivan swerved into a school bus on the first day of class, killing a child and injuring two dozen others. The driver is a recently settled immigrant from Haiti who drives with a foreign license, according to New York Times.
The viral nature of the story in Springfield, where about 20,000 Haitians have resettled – legally – in recent years, once again shows the polarizing issue of immigration in the presidential election, which the Trump campaign has done as the campaign enters the House.
Local officials in Springfield have acknowledged that the recent Haitian arrivals have helped revive the city’s moribund economy, but at the same time they are appealing to the federal government for more resources to help them.