ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
If you’re following the 2024 presidential election, you’ve probably heard this now-infamous (and false) claim from former president Donald Trump about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, which he made during last week’s debate with vice president Kamala Harris.
Local officials and city management have roundly dismissed the rumors, with no evidence supporting the claim that people’s pets are being consumed in Springfield, Fox News reported. Ohio governor Mike DeWine – a Republican – has bluntly called the rumor “a piece of garbage that was simply not true.”
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Meanwhile, Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio – who helped to spark the controversy with a social media post a day before the debate – has acknowledged that it’s possible that “all of these rumors will turn out to be false.” Despite this, Vance has doubled down on the narrative, insisting that his regurgitation of the rumors online has put a much-needed spotlight on immigration in the area.
The Republican candidates’ remarks have ignited a viral internet free-for-all, with angry debates raging on social media and AI-created memes dominating the conversation.
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A wave of immigration advocates and Haitian residents across the nation have been decrying the rumor as “racist” and inflammatory, including several in Essex County, New Jersey.
On Monday, city officials in East Orange, the National Association for Haitian Elected Officials Network (NAEON) and local community leaders gathered for a press conference at City Hall to hit back at Trump and Vance for their comments. Watch the video below, or view it online here.
City officials pointed out that East Orange and its Essex County neighbors of Irvington and Newark have among the highest percentages of Haitian immigrants and Haitian-Americans in the state.
Mayor Ted Green said it’s strange to even be having this debate – yet here we are.
“How do you come back now and say, ‘Nah, we just made that up and we want y’all guys to just leave it alone.’ No … we’re not going to leave it alone … because there’s so many Haitians in this country.”
Green praised the efforts of the many Haitians who have made the nation a better place to live, saying that it is insulting to them – and their neighbors – to make an outlandish statement like “they’re eating cats and dogs.”
“We all should be insulted when anyone makes those type of comments to people who have built this country,” he urged.
“I want my Haitian brothers and sisters to know that we stand with you, and we stand strong with you, and we will not tolerate individuals want to lead this country to make those type of accusations,” the mayor added.
Union County Commissioner Michele Delisfort said that the lies that have sprung up in the wake of the debate have fueled division, fear and hatred. She pointed out that Haitian families have been facing bullying and threats in Springfield – and many people are worried that it will escalate to violence soon.
“We live in a great country where people come here for opportunity, for solace and for protection, and today, that’s exactly what we’re asking for,” Delisfort said.
“Those who spread misinformation must be held accountable,” she insisted.
Irvington Councilwoman Charnette Frederic said her life has been “profoundly shaped” by the values she learned from her parents, who raised her in Haiti.
“As an immigrant, I know what it means to strive for a better future while contributing for the community in the nation we call now home,” Frederic said. “However, in the past few weeks, we [have faced] painful and unjust challenges. False rumors have been spread about the Haitian community … my community … your community.”
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And now, the hard work and success of the Haitian community is being overshadowed by hate, division and misinformation, she lamented.
“These accusations are not only unfounded, but deeply harmful,” she attested.
Several speakers at Monday’s rally called for unity and love as a response to the controversy – and urged voters to save their outrage for Election Day on Nov. 5.
“We are proud people, we are strong people, we’re united people … and we will not take this lying down,” East Orange Councilman Bergson Leneus told attendees.
The press conference also saw support from community leaders including the Rev. Older Azard (senior pastor at Bethel Haitian Baptist Church), Haitian Pastors’ Association President Jean Maurice, Elizabeth Board of Education Member Stanley Neron, Essex County Young Democrats Chair Jasmine Metellus, Linden School Board Member Brianna Armstead, entrepreneur Patrick Vilaire, community activists Yola Lamarre and Barbette Lherrison, and West Orange Human Relations Commission member Natacha Clesca.
The sentiment displayed in East Orange this week has been echoing with other Haitian activists across the nation.
Last week, the Haitian Bridge Alliance blasted Vance for making “false and offensive” claims that immigrants are eating pets in Ohio.
“It is not lost on us that Vance is doing this to distract and score political points as we head to the elections,” executive director Guerline Jozef said.
“The false allegations are a clear example of the anti-Black racist and xenophobic nature of people like JD Vance, whose goals are to dehumanize Black communities around the country,” Jozef added.
The group has also been critical of President Joe Biden, accusing the administration of deporting more than 40 Haitian nationals earlier this month – primarily women who are seeking asylum, they said.
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THE RUMOR MILL: A BRIEF BACKGROUND
In June, the Biden Administration announced an 18-month extension of temporary protected status for more than 300,000 unauthorized migrants from Haiti living in the United States. While not a permanent legal status, TPS protects against deportation and allows migrants to get a work permit, among other benefits.
According to a notice in the Federal Register, officials say Haiti continues to experience simultaneous economic, security, political and health crises. At the same time, Haiti is struggling with a humanitarian crisis, with many citizens having limited access to safety, health care, food, water and economic opportunity.
“These circumstances continue to make return to Haiti dangerous for Haitian nationals living in the United States,” the notice states.
In July, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck wrote a letter to U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Tim Scott asking for federal support to ease a “significant housing crisis” in the city of about 60,000, blaming it largely on the city’s new Haitian population, which he alleged has increased to 15,000 or 20,000 in recent years. Vance read excerpts of that letter when questioning the chair of the Federal Reserve on July 9, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
On Sept. 6, a post on X – which has since been widely reshared – claimed that ducks and pets have been “disappearing” since the city has seen an influx of Haitian residents, and shared a photo of a man carrying a goose.
In the meanwhile, an uber-competitive presidential race has seen both candidates trying to appear tough on immigration – which “probably explain why a sitting senator felt it was wise to share a meme claiming that if Americans don’t vote for former President Donald Trump, immigrants will eat your cats, and why a former president repeated the vile claim during a national debate,” an article on Vox.com suggested.
Perhaps adding fuel to the fire, there have been elements of fact that are embedded in the rumors, which have been amplified by influencers such as Elon Musk.
For example, although Springfield police have denied the claims about pet-eating, there is a recent case of alleged animal cruelty involving a cat that took place in Canton, Ohio – although there is no evidence that the woman is an immigrant or of Haitian descent.
This incident is apparently the source of a video that has been making the rounds on social media. That video – which falsely claims that it shows police confronting a Haitian woman in Springfield about eating a cat – is actually police bodycam footage of the Aug. 16 incident in Canton.
Some Springfield residents have been making unverified claims at city council meetings that Haitians are killing and eating ducks and geese in parks – as well as cats and dogs – although none of them said they saw this firsthand. Their claims also include allegations of rising crime and car crashes.
For his part, Vance has continued to defend the social media claims that their campaign has been putting online.
“I trust my constituents more than I do the American media that has shown no interest in what’s happened in Springfield until we started sharing cat memes on the internet, which is disgraceful that the American media ignored this town,” Vance recently told NBC’s Meet the Press.
In the wake of the controversy, the threat of violence continues to make many people in Ohio nervous. For days after the debate, bomb threats were called into local schools and government buildings in Springfield, with some emailed threats referencing an influx of migrants into the community, according to the Associated Press. Wittenberg University in Springfield said it has seen two threats over the weekend, both of which were targeted toward members of the Haitian community.
Trump, of course, is enduring his own brushes with violence this year, having survived another apparent assassination attempt this election on Sunday at one of his golf clubs in Florida.
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