Cat ‘Stolen’ by Haitian Migrants in Ohio Was Actually Just in Cat Owner’s Basement

Donald Trump’s statesmanlike run has spent the past week spreading heinous lies astir Haitian immigrants successful the municipality of Springfield, Ohio. “They’re eating the cats, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said during his statement with Kamala Harris successful Philadelphia past week, echoing nonsense archetypal elevated by JD Vance based connected small much than internet rumors. And a caller study that tried to travel up connected Vance’s “evidence” has proved yet again that he’s afloat of shit.

The Wall Street Journal earnestly tried to way down stories of radical successful Springfield who said their pets had been abducted oregon eaten. A newsman visited Anna Kilgore, a pistillate successful the municipality who filed a constabulary study successful precocious August due to the fact that she disquieted her feline Miss Sassy had been “taken by Haitian neighbors,” aft she couldn’t find her.

The Vance run pointed to Kilgore and her communicative arsenic impervious that Haitian immigrants were really eating home animals. But it simply wasn’t true. As the Journal reports, the feline “actually returned a fewer days later—found harmless successful her ain basement.” And Kilgore, who’s a Trump supporter, present seems to person regrets.

“Kilgore, wearing a Trump garment and hat, said she apologized to her Haitian neighbors with the assistance of her girl and a mobile-phone translation app,” the Journal writes.

But it’s not conscionable that 1 story. Vance has tried to assertion helium has a upland of “evidence” that migrants are eating cats, dogs, and geese from section parks. And they each crook retired to beryllium garbage. NBC News talked with a pistillate successful Springfield, Erika Lee, who was down 1 of the Facebook posts that far-right influencers elevated online earlier Vance truly kicked it into precocious gear. It turns retired Lee’s station was based connected thing she’d heard from “an acquaintance of a friend” and that she had nary first-hand cognition of thing similar that happening.

“I consciousness for the Haitian community,” Lee told NBC News. “If I was successful the Haitians’ position, I’d beryllium terrified, too, disquieted that somebody’s going to travel aft maine due to the fact that they deliberation I’m hurting thing that they emotion and that, again, that’s not what I was trying to do.”

Local authorities officials, including Republicans, person said there’s nary grounds that Haitian immigrants person been eating pets. Springfield Police Division has stressed the same, telling NBC News, “There person been nary credible reports oregon circumstantial claims of pets being harmed, injured, oregon abused by individuals wrong the migrant community.”

The Wall Street Journal besides tried to fact-check respective of the different claims being made by Vance and his online legion of far-right influencers astir Haitian migrants successful Ohio. And nary of them turned retired to beryllium true. For example, Vance has repeatedly said connected the Sunday governmental TV shows that Haitians are causing an uptick successful illness successful Springfield. But the Journal reports a diminution successful communicable diseases since 2015 for the immense bulk of infections that person been tracked.

From the Journal:

Information from the region wellness department, however, shows a alteration successful infectious illness cases countywide, with 1,370 reported successful 2023—the lowest since 2015. The tuberculosis lawsuit numbers successful the region are truthful debased (four successful 2023, 3 successful 2022, 1 successful 2021) that immoderate small question tin bring a large percent jump. HIV cases did summation to 31 successful 2023, from 17 successful 2022 and 12 successful 2021. Overall, sexually transmitted corruption cases decreased to 965 successful 2023, the lowest since 2015.

Amazingly, Vance had the gall to blasted the media for the lies he’s spreading astir immigrants during a rally Tuesday successful Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“I deliberation the media has a work to information cheque the residents of Springfield, not prevarication astir them,” Vance said successful an perfectly stunning statement.

The intent of this coordinated run to prime connected immigrants to the U.S. is to dehumanize them and marque them morganatic targets for violence. Trump himself makes that information precise blunt erstwhile helium refers to immigrants arsenic “animals.”

“The Democrats accidental delight don’t telephone them animals, they’re humans. I said no, they’re not humans, they’re not humans; they’re animals,” Trump said astatine an infamous code successful Michigan back successful April.

Springfield has been nether a authorities of changeless heightened anxiousness ever since Vance helped absorption attraction connected the town. Hospitals, schools, and authorities buildings are getting weaponry threats. Schools person been periodically closed implicit the threats and constabulary are present deployed arsenic the municipality tries to unrecorded with the nation’s eyes connected them. Trump is reportedly readying to sojourn Springfield “soon,” according to NBC News, though it’s not wide erstwhile that mightiness happen. Failed statesmanlike campaigner and Trump protagonist Vivek Ramaswamy has tweeted that he’s holding a municipality hallway successful Springfield connected Thursday.

I’m going to sojourn Springfield, OH connected Thursday. Hoping to person a municipality hallway with section residents, not to stoke much contention but to person unfastened & honorable dialog astir wide migration. The assemblage says they request help, not division. To that end, I’d similar to marque a charitable…

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 15, 2024

Trump and Vance are astir surely spreading these lies astir immigrants not conscionable due to the fact that they’re vile quality beings, but due to the fact that they’re hopeless arsenic Kamala Harris gains important crushed successful the polls. The Morning Consult canvass conscionable released connected Tuesday has Harris up against Trump 51% to 45%.

Other mostly respected polls besides person Harris beating Trump successful the fashionable vote, though it volition yet travel down to however the Democrat performs successful important battleground states similar Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Thankfully, Harris seems to beryllium doing good successful those states arsenic well, with different states similar Georgia and Arizona backmost successful play aft President Joe Biden was polling precise poorly determination earlier dropping retired of the contention successful precocious July.

FiveThirtyEight’s state-level polling mean shows Harris up 2.3 points successful Michigan, up 1.7 points successful Pennsylvania, and 2.7 points successful Wisconsin. And Trump is up conscionable 0.5 points successful Georgia and 0.1 points successful Arizona.

No 1 knows what volition hap erstwhile Americans spell to the polls connected November 5 and there’s nary telling however overmuch worse things volition get for Springfield successful the adjacent 48 days earlier the election. Republicans look to deliberation spreading net rumors is simply a winning strategy. But here’s hoping they’re incorrect and Trumpism is yet kicked to the curb erstwhile and for all.