Springfield was in the spotlight on the Sunday TV news shows this weekend. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine and GOP vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance talked about the false rumors connected to the surging population of Haitians who have come to Ohio legally, and bomb threats and other safety concerns that have followed those unfounded claims.
On ABC’s This Week, DeWine was asked whether there was any truth to the false claims that Haitians are eating pets – comments that frustrated Springfield city officials said have smeared their city.
"No. Absolutely not. That's what the mayor said. That's what the chief of police has said," DeWine said. “There's a lot of garbage on the internet. And this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There's no evidence of this at all.”
Most of the Haitian immigrants are receiving temporary protected status from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to work legally in the United States, a status that has been extended through at least 2026. DeWine noted they moved to Springfield for manufacturing and other jobs, and the companies they work for have embraced them.
"What the employers tell you is, we don't know what we would do without them," DeWine said. "They are working very hard, and they're fitting in with our native people from Springfield who have been working in the shop or working in this manufacturing company for for a long, long time. So that's what we need to focus on."
Along with far-right commentators and other Republicans who have boosted the false claims about the legal Haitian migrants is former president Donald Trump. He amplified them during Tuesday's presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, who laughed as he said, "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, and this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame."
As DeWine made his comments Sunday morning, Vance appeared in an occasionally contentious interview on CNN’s State of the Union. Vance was among the first Republican officeholders to amplify the false pet-eating claims with a post on X on Sept. 9. He said city services and health care access has been strained since the Haitian population surged into Springfield, which he blames on Harris.
"The American media totally ignored this stuff until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes," Vance said.
Host Dana Bash interjected, "But it wasn't just a meme."
"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, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast," Vance responded.
But Vance said it was "disgusting" and "propagandist" to suggest that his comments about pet-eating have a connection to bomb threats received by several places in Springfield.
“There is nothing that I have said that has led to threats against these hospitals, the bomb threats and so forth," Vance said. "It's disgusting. The violence is disgusting. We condemn it. We condemn all violence."
Hospitals, schools and Springfield City Hall have received bomb threats since the rumors exploded last week. Clark State College announced "due to recent events in Springfield", the community college has canceled all activities this week and will be operating online only. And members of the Haitian community have said they fear for their safety.
And there are other signs that violence could be brewing. A video showing about a dozen men who appeared to be aligned with the white supremacist group the Proud Boys on a Springfield street hit social media Saturday. And DeWine said Mayor Robert Rue told him about a flyer that appeared to be from the Ku Klux Klan.
"We have hate groups coming in, and this discussion just has to stop," DeWine said. "We need to focus on moving forward and not dogs and cats being eaten. That's just ridiculous."
In spite of all this, DeWine said he said he still backs Trump for president.
“Look, I said before we knew who the nominee was going to be, and I would support the Republican nominee for president. I am a Republican," DeWine said.
He added he wishes Trump would talk more about the economy and immigration, and said he believes "the vast majority of the American people agree with Donald Trump and not the vice president. But what's going on in Springfield is just fundamentally different. These people are here legally. They came to work. These are good people."
