Haitian leaders in the U.S. publicly criticized the Republican vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, as well as many prominent Republicans for claiming that immigrants from that country were stealing and eating pets in an Ohio city.
Different lawmakers and officials in Florida, which boasts a large Haitian community in the U.S., issued public statements rejecting the notion.
One of them was state lawmaker Dotie Joseph, a Democratic state representative who said that Vance should know how to do research, considering he's a lawyer, and that he should be disciplined for his "racist and xenophobic claims, which he certainly knew and should have known to be fraudulent, even if he doesn't practice law."
"As a fellow graduate of Yale, who also happens be Haitian-born lawyer engaged in public service, but actually knows how to research and believes in truth and integrity, I'll offer some free advice: Just say you're losing and desperate for political attention. We all see it," she said in a statement, as reported by Florida Politics.
Moreover, Democratic Hollywood Rep. Marie Woodson said the comments were made out of "seeking power in desperation," but that she was choosing to "rise above." "Let's focus on electing a credible, qualified, and humane President for the United States. We must reject the hatred, division, racism, and lies that Vance and some others promote," she told the outlet, calling on people to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the November elections.
Linda Joseph, Chair of the Haitian-led Ayisyen Pou Harris grassroots initiative, said the statements were false and vile, adding that they show a "profound ignorance of who we are as people." "We will not allow anyone, especially a sitting U.S. Senator, to tarnish our image with such reprehensible lies," she added.
Controversy ensued on Monday after Vance published a video on his X social media account of him at a July Senate Banking Committee hearing, reading a letter from Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck detailing the city's challenges in keeping up with housing for a growing population of Haitian immigrants.
Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024
Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i
In the post, Vance made a reference to a now-debunked rumor that circulated social media, which said that Haitian migrants were abducting pets and eating them.
"Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?" he wrote on X.
Many Republicans were quick to jump on the bandwagon, seeking to expand its reach. Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. Andy Biggs were among those echoing the claims, calling at the same time for harsher immigration crackdowns.
As reported by The Springfield News-Sun on Sept. 9, police have "received no reports related to pets being stolen and eaten."
The rumor appears to have originated at an Aug. 27 Springfield City Commission meeting, in which local resident Anthony Harris alleged, among other things, that Haitian immigrants were killing park ducks for food.
The rumor also spread on local crime-watch Facebook groups, where a member claimed that the neighbor's daughter's friend had lost her cat and found it hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbor's home being carved up to be eaten.
The Springfield News-Sun reported that these viral posts had erroneously linked the city to an incident last month in Canton, Ohio, in which a woman was arrested and charged with cruelty to companion animals for allegedly killing and eating a cat.
In recent months, the city of Springfield has seen a large number of migrants from Haiti coming in. According to estimates from a New York Times report, some 20,000 Haitians have arrived in the city under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, leaving their home country due to ongoing violence.
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