Fact Check: Are Haitian Immigrants Eating Pets and Birds in Springfield, Ohio?

Viral stories of Haitian immigrants eating cats, dogs, and ducks in Springfield, Ohio were rejected by local officials.

Viral Claims:

• Charlie Kirk (Right bias) shared a post including a story of Haitian immigrants eating a resident's cat.
• In one widely shared clip from a Springfield City Commission meeting, a man named Anthony Harris says he witnessed migrants "grabbing up ducks by the neck, cutting the heads off... and eating them." A longer video from Fox News (Right) shows Harris introduce himself as a "social media influencer."
• Another post claimed to show bodycam footage of a woman "eating a neighbor’s pet cat." Fact checks unanimously concluded that the woman depicted was born in the U.S.
• Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance posted, "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?"
• A police report details a witness who claimed to see four Haitians who had captured and killed wild geese.
• During his Sept. 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump said migrants are "eating the pets" of other residents, a claim many mainstream news sources labeled false.

Springfield Rebuts: A city official told Lead Stories (Lean Left) there were "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused," nor of immigrants "squatting or littering in front of residents' homes" or "deliberately disrupting traffic."

For Context: In recent years, Haitian immigrants have substantially increased Springfield's population, sparking local controversy.

How the Media Covered It: New York Post (Lean Right) rejected the social media claims but pivoted to "real migrant concerns" about overloaded local "services" and a fatal school bus crash. PolitiFact (Lean Left) noted that Harris is a self-described influencer, but many right-rated outlets merely called him a "resident." Some, especially left-rated sources, omitted details about the police report and resident testimonies while describing the claims as "baseless." Updated 9/16/24 at 8:58 am ET