JD Vance Slammed For Pushing Conspiracy Theory That Haitian Immigrants Are Abducting & Eating Pets In Ohio

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) was condemned for spreading a debunked rumor that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.

On Monday, Vance posted a video on X of himself at a July Senate Banking Committee hearing, reading a letter from Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck about the city’s challenges in keeping up with housing for the growing Haitian immigrant population.

“Springfield has seen a surge in population through immigration that has significantly impacted our ability as a community to produce enough housing opportunities for all,” he said during the hearing. 

“Springfield’s Haitian population has increased [15,000] to 20,000 over the last four years in a community of under 60,000 previous residents, putting a significant strand on our resources and ability to provide ample housing for all of our residents,” he said.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote in the post’s caption.

“Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” he added. “Where is our border czar?”

Heck soon debunked those claims about Springfield in a statement.

“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” he said in the statement.

“Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” the Springfield city manager stated. “Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

Vance also received backlash from X users for spreading a conspiracy theory.

“This has been debunked, but of course you’re spreading fake news,” the X user @ArtCandee wrote on X. “You’re desperate and sad.”

“Show receipts of the records that say that people are eating other people’s pets,” user @SuzanneCEvans stated. “If not, issue an apology for lying.”

“This is a lie,” user @sam_d_1995 declared on X. “You are a liar and a bad one at that.”

Vance’s debunked claim seems to have originated from a local Facebook group in Springfield, which warned residents to keep an eye on the Haitian community and asserted that animals, like cats and dogs, were being “carved up” for consumption.

Springfield police then confirmed that they found no reports of pets being stolen or eaten, according to the Springfield News-Sun. 

The force stated that it was aware of the viral Facebook post but that such claims were inaccurate.

“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” the police said in a statement. 

In early September, Vance was slammed on social media for claiming in an unearthed video that professional women are on “a path to misery.”

He made this claim after being asked about what he noticed in elite institutions such as Yale Law School during an episode of the podcast Moment of Truth released on September 20, 2021.

The senator then declared that these women do not “realize – and I think some of them do eventually realize that, thank God – that that is actually a path to misery.”

Following the shooting, which took place at Apalachee High School on September 4, Vance called school shootings “a fact of life” during a rally in Phoenix.