The White House warned Tuesday that debunked allegations of Haitian immigrants harming pets could escalate into anti-immigrant violence, as Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance vowed to continue spreading the rumors.
In a briefing with reporters, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said false claims about immigrants are a “dangerous” variety of conspiracy theory.
“This kind of disinformation is dangerous because no matter how ridiculous and stupid it is, there will be people who believe it,” he said. “And they can act on that kind of information and act in a way that could hurt somebody. So that has to stop.”
A rumor of Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets has spread widely on social media and has recently focused on the migrant-rich city of Springfield, Ohio. The police there issued a statement on Monday Undermining the allegations, “there have been no credible reports or specific allegations of harm, injury or exploitation of pets within the immigrant community.”
Kirby said a more meaningful discussion topic would be how to help people who are fleeing Gang conflict and political turmoil in Haiti.
“What concerns us deeply is that now your elected officials in the Republican Party are promoting another conspiracy theory that seeks to divide people based on a false and, frankly, element of racism,” he said.
Rumors about pets in Springfield started to go viral based in part on the weekend comments from residents at public hearings and a fourth-hand story posted on a Facebook group dedicated to the crime. On Monday, they became an accepted talking point for supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, adding fresh vitriol to an election race where immigration is already a hot topic.
There are baseless claims described as racist In the sense that Haitian immigrants, the majority of whom are black, had brutal experiences or could not live peacefully among white neighbors. Marlene Daut, Professor of French and the African Diaspora at Yale University, told NBC News in March Allegations of Haitian cruelty by Europeans and white Americans can be traced back to Haiti’s successful slave revolt and independence from France in 1804.
Senator Vance of Ohio argued Writing in X It said on Monday that undocumented immigrants have been kidnapping and eating pets, citing vague reports. He addressed the issue again on Tuesday in a different way: while acknowledging that the rumors may be false, he urged Republicans to keep talking about it.
Vance said people in Springfield have been contacting her office about their neighbors’ pets on Tuesday.
“Over the past few weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual Springfield residents who say their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife have been stolen by Haitian migrants,” Vance said. Posted in X.
“Of course, all these rumors may turn out to be false,” he added.
Vance added that he will not shy away from the slander in the news media.
“In short, don’t be swayed by the crying babies in the media, fellow countrymen. Keep the cat memories going” placed.
A representative for Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Responses to Vance at X were divided. Some users posted cat memes in support of her, while others asked Vance why Springfield residents would call a senator about a missing pet rather than the police.
Vance also referenced the August 2023 death of an 11-year-old boy near Springfield. Boy, Aiden Clark, was killed More than 20 people were injured when the Haitian immigrant driving the van hit their school bus. Driver Hermanio Joseph, was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to 9 to 13 years in prison on the charge of vehicular manslaughter.
Vance wrote in Tuesday’s X that “a child was killed by a Haitian migrant,” and he said other local resources, including health care and housing, were being squeezed by the demand from the new arrivals.