Since September 10th, 2024, JD Vance has spread rumors of Haitian immigrants consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio. As of September 24th, 2024, although various sources are fact-checking Vance and are not able to back up his claims,  Vance continues to spread these rumors.

For the past week or two, he has been creating posts on X about rumors of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio. According to NPR, JD Vance states, “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?” (McCarthy, September 10th, 2024) Which has started quite a bit of controversy in America, especially in Springfield and Ohio.

JD Vance is the Senate representative for Ohio. He was sworn into office on January 3rd, 2023. He was recently picked to be running mate as Vice president for Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election.

What caused more controversy were other politicians like the previous president Donald Trump, where he stated people living in Springfield were consuming pets and eating other citizens’ dogs and cats.

On the other hand, there has been a sudden increase in Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, or Ohio in general. Typically, there are 60,000 people in Springfield, however, 15,000 to 20,000 people, mostly of the Haitian community, have been migrating there for the past four years. Despite this, NPR also stated that local police officials have stated that there are no reports of the Haitian community taking or consuming pets.

Politico mentions that “DeWine [Governor of Ohio] also stated that the Haitian immigrants in Springfield are there legally.” (McCarthy, September 15th, 2024). DeWine also expresses he is disappointed with controversy when he finds no evidence of these rumors taking place in Springfield.

This also created a surge in AI-generated images that showcase Donald Trump holding cats and running with them. As these images and memes began surfacing on social media, JD Vance supports these memes, as NPR also mentions he said on X, “Keep the cat memes flowing” (JD Vance, September 10th, 2024).

While there are speculations about JD Vance’s motives for making these claims, the truth remains a mystery until he decides to share it with the world.