What we know about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WCMH) — The internet is rife with debate over an Ohio town, with even former President Donald Trump jumping in on extreme claims over immigration during the Tuesday debate.

During his face-off with current Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump referenced allegations that immigrants were eating pets in Springfield.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

He joins others like Elon Musk, who reposted claims Monday on X from a Republican strategist that 20,000 Haitian immigrants had moved in, and were killing and eating residents’ animals.

“Vote for Kamala if you want this to happen to your neighborhood!” Musk wrote, later sharing an AI-generated picture of a duckling and kitten with the caption “Save them.”

Strange Columbus photo’s connection to claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield

Musk added his voice to a similar claim Monday morning from Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), vice presidential candidate alongside Donald Trump. Vance, who grew up an hour away from Springfield, repeated the same allegation on X that “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced around a half hour after Vance made his post that it would review legal options to stop the U.S. government from “sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities.” Dave Yost commented on strain on Springfield’s economic, medical and educational systems, and alluded to a 2023 school bus crash that left a student dead.

“The problem is not migrants, it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost wrote.

In a Tuesday news conference, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine acknowledged Springfield had recently received an “unprecedented” surge of around 15,000 Haitian immigrants, bringing a strain on healthcare providers, translators and rental availability. He did not repeat any claims about animal abductions or other behavior by migrants, but also did not denounce what other Republicans have said.

“As far as other things that might be occurring in the community, I would refer to local officials who have spoken out,” DeWine said.

DeWine announced he would direct the Ohio State Highway Patrol to bring troopers to assist Springfield’s police with traffic concerns, including “erratic” driving. He also said he would allocate $2.5 million over the next two years for the Ohio Department of Health to assist the Clark County Health Department with a heightened demand for medical care.

“The goal is to reduce dangerous driving, regardless of who the driver is,” DeWine said. “I am not against this program. What I do say though, is with this program there has to be a plan, to prevent situations like we’re seeing in Springfield. If they do occur, we clearly need help from the federal government.”

At the local level, the city government is also telling a different story compared with Musk and Vance’s claims.

Claims pets are being eaten by immigrants

The claims stem from the City of Springfield’s own acknowledgement of a “surge” in its population, “primarily due to an influx of legal immigrants.” The people from Haiti — known as one of the poorest developing countries in the world — received temporary protected status from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, allowing them to stay in the U.S. due to conditions in the Caribbean island nation.

NBC4 reached out to the City of Springfield to hear their take on allegations of animals being eaten. An official could not answer any specific questions, citing an influx of media inquiries, but did share 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,” a Springfield spokeswoman wrote. “Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

The Springfield Police Division corroborated the city’s account, telling the Springfield News-Sun that officers had not received any local reports of pets being stolen or eaten. Investigators said the viral story originated in a Springfield Facebook group, where the poster referenced a neighbor’s daughter’s friend finding her cat hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbor’s home.

Police in another Ohio town did encounter a similar kind of incident, but did not share any details that implicated the suspect as a Haitian immigrant. Cleveland sister station FOX 8 reported that Canton officers arrested 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell after accusing her of killing and eating a cat.

At a Tuesday news conference, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue addressed the online attention on the city’s migrant population. He said the city had no verifiable instances of immigrants eating pets or local wildlife, and instead asked, “As a human being, can you imagine being talked about like this?”

“What we’re doing is we’re letting these rumors, this national rhetoric come into our community and divide us. And like we said earlier, there are things we need to focus on,” Rue said. “But because we’re focusing on X posts and Facebook posts and trying to squash those rumors, it takes a lot of time to getting the truth back.”

During public comment at an Aug. 13 Springfield City Commission meeting, several residents spoke up with their own accounts of what was going on in their town. One woman didn’t repeat the claim about local pets, but said she and her husband were considering moving away over behavior she witnessed from people labeled squatters.

“It is so unsafe in my neighborhood anymore. I have the homeless that were trying to camp out, and I have made concessions with them … I have men that cannot speak English in my front yard screaming at me, throwing mattresses in my front yard,” the woman said. “I understand they’re here under temporary protected status … but who’s protecting us?”

How many immigrants have arrived in Springfield

A section on the City of Springfield’s website gave some context to social media users’ claims that 20,000 Haitian immigrants had overtaken the area. The city government referenced multiple datasets to estimate its immigrant population sits somewhat lower, but called it “impossible” to give an exact number.

“Based on data provided from numerous sources, such as Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Springfield City Schools, area healthcare providers and social services agencies, the total immigrant population is estimated to be approximately 12,000 – 15,000 in Clark County,” the city’s website read.

The Springfield mayor gave a conflicting number in an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying the city’s public services were overwhelmed by 14,000 to 20,000 migrants the city brought in. Prior to the immigration situation, the 2020 census put Springfield’s population at 58,662.

Between the mayor and city’s accounts, the possible thousands have a perceivable effect in certain places in Springfield. The New York Times reported that around 350 new students, mainly from migrant families, enrolled in local elementary and middle schools. With a language barrier in play, Springfield City Schools said they had to hire six Creole translators to assist, bumping district expenses for the services to $436,000, compared with $43,000 four years prior.

Another resident at the same Aug. 13 meeting for the city commission, who acknowledged “growing pains” with new neighbors, disagreed with issues taken up by some of the other commenters.

“Newcomers that I know, are receptive to kindness and want to, in the best of their ability, help themselves,” the man said. “Our community has been in a population decline for nearly 70 years. We need more and new people.”

A deadly incident with a school bus driver

Hermanio Joseph was driving a minivan on Aug. 22, 2023, when he crashed into a school bus carrying 52 elementary school students to the Northwestern Local Schools district. He had no U.S. driver’s license but did have a valid Mexican driver’s license, according to investigators. The crash left more than 20 students hospitalized, and 11-year-old Aidan Clark dead after being ejected from the bus.

Yost’s office alluded to this crash as part of locals’ complaints that prompted its investigation. The crash even drew the attention of the New York Times, who reported the legal Haitian immigrant’s crash was fuel to the fire for resentment from natives.

A jury ultimately found Joseph guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and a judge sentenced him to between nine and 13 years in prison.

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