In a startling turn of events, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck has revealed that he directly told a staffer for Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that claims about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets were false. Heck recounted the inquiry he received on September 9, telling The Wall Street Journal: “He asked point-blank, ‘Are the rumors true of pets being taken and eaten?’ I told him no. There was no verifiable evidence or reports to show this was true. These claims were baseless.”
Despite this clarification, Vance had already amplified the unfounded rumors to his 1.9 million followers on X, and he continued to push the narrative even more insistently the next day.
As noted by The Wall Street Journal, this misinformation reached a fever pitch when former President Donald Trump echoed the claims during a debate with Kamala Harris, stating, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs… they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” His comments transformed local concerns about immigration into a national controversy.
The origins of the pet-eating rumor can be traced back to external neo-Nazi groups that have been known to exploit local issues to stoke fear about immigrants. Once Trump’s campaign latched onto these falsehoods, they spread like wildfire, despite city officials’ efforts to debunk them. Mayor Rob Rue cautioned against Trump visiting Springfield, citing existing bomb threats and the potential strain on local resources.
Vance has since attempted to justify his statements by referencing a resident’s claim about a missing pet, which was later discovered safe at home. Meanwhile, Springfield’s city leadership has been working tirelessly to mitigate the panic and misinformation. Heck expressed concern over the situation, stating, “It induces panic and fear and depletes resources.”
Despite the overwhelming evidence refuting these claims, Vance insisted on CNN that he possessed firsthand accounts from constituents about the alleged incidents, arguing that media attention only surfaced after he and Trump began discussing the issue. As tensions rise in Springfield, the local community continues to grapple with the fallout from these dangerous rumors.
