South Florida Democrats are decrying recent comments made by Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance about reports of Haitian immigrants harming pets in Ohio.
Vance posted on X on Monday about the influx of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, where officials said around 20,000 migrants have arrived in the city of about 60,000 residents in the past few years.
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"Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio," Vance's post read. "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?"
Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 9, 2024
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? pic.twitter.com/rf0EDIeI5i
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Vance's post comes after several viral stories that likely began when a man claimed at a Springfield City Commission meeting back on Aug. 27 that Haitian migrants were taking ducks from local parks so they can eat them.
"They're in the park grabbing up ducks by they neck and cutting they head off and walking off with them and eating them, like," wthe man said.
A Facebook post later claimed a friend's cat went missing and was eaten by a Haitian migrant.
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But Springfield Police denied the reports in 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," the statement read. "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."
South Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, whose parents are from Haiti, denounced Vance's post.
"J.D. Vance’s recent comments about Haitians in Springfield eating pets and local wildlife are not only a vile, racist lie but also beneath the dignity of any public office, let alone the Senate or the Vice Presidency. It’s disgusting and disgraceful that someone seeking the nation's second-highest office would stoop to such baseless, hateful rhetoric," Cherfilus- McCormick said in a statement.
Nancy Metayer Bowen, a Haitian-American commissioner in Coral Springs, also spoke out against Vance's comments.
"JD Vance's baseless and damaging remarks about Haitian immigrants eating pets is a disgusting and unfounded attack on a community that has made tremendous contributions to this country," Metayer Bowen said. "This kind of rhetoric does nothing but spread fear, misinformation, and hate. As a proud daughter of Haitian immigrants, I know firsthand the values, resilience, and cultural richness that Haitians bring to our nation. To see such an unfounded narrative being pushed by an elected official is not only disheartening but an insult to all immigrant communities."
A spokesperson for Vance said his X post was based on what he's from citizens in Springfield.
"Senator Vance has received a high volume of calls and emails over the past several weeks from concerned citizens in Springfield: his tweet is based on what he is hearing from them," the spokesperson's statement read. "The city has faced an influx of 15,000-20,000 Haitian migrants over the past four years, stressing public resources and leading to housing shortages, all thanks to Kamala Harris's policy of extending temporary protected status designations. Many residents have contacted Senator Vance to share their concerns over crime and traffic accidents, and to express that they no longer feel safe in their own homes. Unlike the liberal media, JD takes his constituents' concerns seriously."
