Additional Coverage:
**Former President Donald Trump continues to spread baseless allegations regarding Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, contradicting city officials who report no credible evidence. Here is a summary of how this narrative has evolved:**
– **Sept. 5:** NewsGuard, an organization that combats misinformation, traced the origin of rumors about pets to a viral post on social media platform X, dated Sept.
5. The initial claim originated from a Springfield resident’s Facebook post alleging Haitians were harming a neighbor’s pet cat.
– **Sept.
6:** A conservative X account with over 2.9 million followers amplified the post, suggesting that Haitian immigrants were responsible for the disappearance of local pets.
– **Sept. 8:** Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shared the same unverified screenshot, asserting that Springfield residents were alleging that Haitians were eating their pets.
– **Sept.
9:** The rumor reached the Trump campaign when Senator JD Vance tweeted about alleged pet abductions and consumption by immigrants.
– **Sept. 9:** Springfield’s city officials issued a statement to ABC News, denying any credible reports about pets being harmed by immigrants.
– **Sept.
9:** Elon Musk fueled the speculation by posting AI-generated images of a cat and a duck with the caption “save them!” gaining 93.2 million views.
– **Sept.
10:** JD Vance conceded on social media that the rumors might be false but continued to push for cat-themed memes and referred to last year’s tragic school bus crash involving a migrant.
– **Sept. 10:** The parents of a child killed in the crash requested Trump and Vance to stop politicizing their son’s death and debunked the pet-eating claims.
– **Sept.
10:** The Arizona Republican Party launched billboards in Phoenix promoting the slogan “EAT LESS KITTENS — vote Republican!” and linked them to immigration issues.
– **Sept.
10:** Trump shared more AI-generated memes about pets and perpetuated the unverified claims during the ABC News presidential debate, saying immigrants in Springfield were eating pets.
– **Sept. 10:** Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Trump’s remarks as extreme and emphasized endorsements from 200 Republicans.
– **Sept.
10:** Post-debate, Trump posted more allegations about Haitian immigrants, which the Associated Press later found to be false.
– **Sept. 11:** Trump continued his anti-immigrant rhetoric on Fox News, wrongly suggesting that Haitians were illegally entering the country.
– **Sept.
11:** At a local city commission meeting, a Springfield resident echoed these unsubstantiated concerns.
– **Sept. 11:** Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck acknowledged community strains due to recent population growth but dismissed Trump’s claims as unfounded.
– **Sept.
11:** Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged belief in local leaders’ reports and denied pet-eating rumors.
– **Sept. 12:** Springfield received a bomb threat, though it remains unclear if it is related to the swirling narrative.
– **Sept.
12:** Social media activist Laura Loomer continued to support baseless claims against Springfield, receiving media attention.
– **Sept. 12:** Trump posted more AI-generated images, including one of a cat with a sign reading, “KAMALA HATES ME.”
– **Sept.
12:** White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, whose parents are Haitian immigrants, condemned the false rhetoric as a bizarre and hateful smear.
– **Sept. 12:** At a rally in Tucson, Arizona, Trump continued to push the claims about immigrants taking and harming local pets.
– **Sept.
13:** Springfield Mayor Rob Rue connected community threats to the baseless rumors and reassured residents that their pets are safe.
– **Sept. 13:** President Biden spoke out against the false claims, showing support for the Haitian community.
There has indeed been a recent increase in Haitian migrants in Springfield, though numbers are estimated at 12,000 to 15,000. These migrants are in the country legally under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). A 2020 study found that U.S.-born citizens are statistically more likely to be arrested for various crimes than undocumented immigrants.