Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance has doubled down on false claims that migrants are eating pets in an Ohio town.
The claims were rejected by officials in Springfield after Trump brought up the accusation in his presidential debate with Kamala Harris.
But Vance has weighed in again, saying his constituents had told him it was true and despite any evidence he was sticking with the story.
The claims have sparked several security threats and Wittenberg University in Springfield said it had to cancel events because of a threat targeting members of its Haitian community.
Republican vice-presidential candidate Vance defended the false stories on US TV on Sunday saying: "Media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes.
"If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do.
“It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it.”
Vance, who has in the past criticised Trump but has changed allegiance, is a US senator who represents Ohio.
He first brought up the animal-eating claims last week and they were picked up by Trump in his head-to-head with Harris last week.
The claims, branded false by Springfield officials, centre on the Haitian community in Springfield.
Mayor Rob Rue told the BBC that the conspiracy theories and Trump's pledge to "mass deport" migrants from Springfield were damaging the town.
He said: "People's pets are safe in Springfield, Ohio. We reached out to the JD Vance Campaign to let them know that we do not have any evidence that has happened, and I've made it known in multiple interviews that this is absolutely not true.
"We need folks to understand, especially those that have a microphone that's being listened to around the world, they need to understand the weight of their words and how it can negatively affect communities."
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, on ABC's This Week called the rumours "a piece of garbage that was simply not true".
Springfield had to evacuate three schools and other city buildings last week due to threats, at least one of which made disparaging comments about Haitians.
Police at Wittenberg university received an email threat that a shooting would take place.
Springfield police have also said they received calls on Saturday about members of the Proud Boys marching in the city, after a video circulated on social media with a group of men carrying flags and wearing logos associated with the far-right group.
Springfield is a rust belt 60,000 people where thousands of immigrants have made their home in recent years.
Many are from Haiti and have legal permission to be in the US under a federal programme for its citizens.
