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Gone quiet · last update Jul 30, 2026 / Haiti

The false claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

In September 2024, Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, spread false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting and eating residents' pets, a rumor Trump repeated at his televised debate with Kamala Harris.[1][2] City officials and Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, rejected the claims, and violent threats closed schools and government offices in the city.[3][4][5] In 2026 the Trump administration ended the deportation protections under which many of Springfield's Haitians lived and worked.[6][7]

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City officials and Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, rejected the claims, and violent threats closed schools and government offices in the city.[3][4][5] In 2026 the Trump administration ended the deportation protections under which many of Springfield's Haitians lived and worked.[6][7]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · monthly average of weekly shares (UTC)

Sep 2024: average weekly share 12% (left 3%, center 7%, right 3%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2024: average weekly share under 1% (left 0%, center under 1%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2024: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2025: average weekly share 2% (left 1%, center 1%, right 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksSep 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksOct 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksDec 2025: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJan 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksFeb 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMar 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksApr 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksMay 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksJun 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksJul 2026: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center under 1%, right under 1%), from 4 of 4 weeksAug 2026: average weekly share under 1% (left under 1%, center 0%, right 0%), from 5 of 5 weeksSep 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksOct 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 4 of 4 weeksNov 2026: average weekly share 0% (left 0%, center 0%, right 0%), from 2 of 2 weeks, so far

LeftCenterRight

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. Over more than two years each bar is a month: the average of that month's weekly shares, so the shape stays readable. The weekly table below keeps every week. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 5 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (8 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Aug 3, 20261001 of 537under 1%
Jul 27, 202633410 of 5612%
Feb 17, 202557517 of 1949%
Oct 14, 20240202 of 1951%
Sep 30, 20242518 of 2224%
Sep 23, 20249141033 of 21415%
Sep 16, 2024419427 of 20913%
Sep 9, 20241320740 of 23017%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Jul 30, 2026 · first reported · Headline from WKYC Cleveland

    Ohio Haitians lose jobs, face terror and impossible choices

Background

The rumor spread online in early September and was amplified by Elon Musk, Republican influencers and Vance,[8] who vowed to keep repeating it even as the White House warned it could lead to violence.[9] Springfield had seen a surge of Haitian migrants with , and DeWine sent law enforcement and health care money to the city.[10] Trump repeated the claim at the September 10 debate, covered in the arc on the 2024 debates.[1] DeWine called the claims "garbage,"[4] and the Trump campaign kept pushing them after a city leader told a Vance staffer they were false.[3]

Threats closed schools and offices, Springfield canceled its annual diversity festival, and state police were sent to protect schools.[5][11] Journalists at a Haitian community news site reported harassment,[12] and a Haitian community group filed criminal charges against Trump and Vance.[13] Trump said he would revoke Temporary Protected Status for Springfield's Haitians and deport them if reelected,[14] and he exaggerated the city's estimate of its Haitian population.[15] In July 2026, as the protections ended, DeWine criticized the decision, and a pastor said Haitians in the city had begun losing their jobs.[6][7] The wider fight over the protections is followed in its own arc.

Supporting stories (15)
  1. Trump falsely claims migrants in Ohio are eating pets
  2. Vance defends spreading claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets
  3. Vance’s team was told Haitian immigrant rumors were false before debate, Springfield mayor confirms
  4. JD Vance repeats claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio, says he has to 'create stories' to get media's attention
  5. Ohio town cancels cultural festival after furor over Haitians
  6. Republican Ohio governor says Trump's plans to deport Haitians a 'mistake'
  7. Ohio Haitians Lose Jobs, Face Terror — and Impossible Choices
  8. JD Vance repeats baseless claim Haitian immigrants are eating pets as Ohio officials say there is no evidence
  9. JD Vance spreads debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets
  10. Ohio is sending troopers and $2.5 million to a city that has seen an influx of Haitian migrants
  11. Ohio state police to protect schools after furor over Haitian immigrants in Springfield
  12. A news site that covers Haitian-Americans is facing harassment over its post-debate coverage of Ohio
  13. Haitian group in Springfield, Ohio, files citizen criminal charges against Trump and Vance
  14. Trump says he would revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants in Springfield if elected
  15. Donald Trump turns back to claims of Haitian migrants eating pets

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 18 recorded updates

July 2026

  1. Ohio Haitians Lose Jobs, Face Terror — and Impossible ChoicesHeadline from Cleveland Scene · 3 outlets
  2. Ohio governor says no planned surge in immigration enforcement after end of TPSHeadline from NBC 4 Columbus · 1 outlet
  3. Republican Ohio governor says Trump's plans to deport Haitians a 'mistake'Headline from The Hill · 8 outlets

February 2025

  1. Trump gets rid of Haitian immigration protection, affecting half a million peopleHeadline from WTHR Indianapolis · 17 outlets

October 2024

  1. Donald Trump turns back to claims of Haitian migrants eating petsHeadline from Newsweek · 5 outlets
  2. Trump says he would revoke Temporary Protected Status for Haitian migrants in Springfield if electedHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 8 outlets

September 2024

  1. Democrats try to censure Rep. Clay Higgins for slandering Haitians in social media postHeadline from MyNorthwest · 9 outlets
  2. Haitian group in Springfield, Ohio, files citizen criminal charges against Trump and VanceHeadline from ABC 13 Houston · 27 outlets
  3. A news site that covers Haitian-Americans is facing harassment over its post-debate coverage of OhioHeadline from The Republic · 13 outlets
  4. Ohio state police to protect schools after furor over Haitian immigrants in SpringfieldHeadline from NBC10 Philadelphia · 8 outlets
  5. Ohio town cancels cultural festival after furor over HaitiansHeadline from Local News 8 · 7 outlets
  6. Vance’s team was told Haitian immigrant rumors were false before debate, Springfield mayor confirmsHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 7 outlets
  7. JD Vance repeats claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio, says he has to 'create stories' to get media's attentionHeadline from Insider · 5 outlets
  8. Vance defends spreading claims that Haitian migrants are eating petsHeadline from Delaware Public Media · 7 outlets
  9. Trump falsely claims migrants in Ohio are eating petsHeadline from FOX 29 Philadelphia · 23 outlets
  10. Ohio is sending troopers and $2.5 million to a city that has seen an influx of Haitian migrantsHeadline from Waco Tribune-Herald · 9 outlets
  11. JD Vance repeats baseless claim Haitian immigrants are eating pets as Ohio officials say there is no evidenceHeadline from CBS News · 5 outlets
  12. JD Vance spreads debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating petsHeadline from Wyoming Public Media · 8 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →