Haitian immigrants residing in Springfield, Ohio, were accused of stealing, killing and eating pets ahead of the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on September 10. Trump reignited the baseless claim during the face-off, despite being corrected by the ABC moderator that no such reports were received by Ohio Police.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating people’s pets. This is what’s happening in our country,” the former President stated.
Meanwhile, a Trump supporter filed a complaint with police and blamed her Haitian neighbour for her cat’s disappearance in late August, alleging that they had killed and eaten the feline. Despite all her accusations, she recently found her cat lurking in her basement.
Anna Kilgore and her complaint against Haitian neighbour
Anna Kilgore garnered national attention after filing a police report about her missing cat — Miss Sassy.
She later found her cat hiding in her basement. She eventually realised her mistake and apologised to her neighbours using a translation software, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Kilgore, donning a Trump T-shirt and hat, acknowledged to reporters that the situation was spiraling out of control and said, “It was a mistake.”
The Haitian community in Springfield was already experiencing fear and harm, and the apology didn’t do anything to ease. In fact, several members were thinking about leaving.
Kilgore’s report served as the primary “proof” for the rumors propagated by Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, against Haitians.
Also Read: Trump To Deport Even Legal Immigrants? Republican Leader Warns Haitians Amid Springfield Tensions
Internet fumes over Kilgore’s false complaint
Reacting to the report, X users blasted Trump and Vance for propagating false claims about Haitian immigrants.
“Sure would be nice if Ms. Kilgore’s own Senator, JD Vance, would now admit he was wrong and apologize for spreading a false rumor,” one X user wrote.
“The Power of Assumption with Racism,” another commented.
While a third user suggested Kilgore to attend a town govt hearing and “apologize to the entire community on public record,” one more said, “Cats go missing all the time. But I’m sure MAGA is going to assume immigrants have eating every single one.”
Ohio authorities reject baseless claims
Vance has maintained that 20,000 people were residing “illegally” in the city, claiming that lifelong inhabitants feel scared. Scooping up on these reports, he and other Republican legislators have used them to support the Trump campaign’s argument that the border measures of the Joe Biden administration are collapsing.
“If Kamala Harris waves a wand, illegally, and says these people are now here legally, I’m still going to call them illegal aliens,” Vance stated.
False claims against Haitians are still circulating online despite the fact that local law enforcement, municipal authorities, and Ohio’s Republican governor have all publicly refuted claims that Haitian migrants are consuming anyone’s pets.
