Washington — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, has distanced himself from former President Donald Trump false statement that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating people’s pets.
“It’s something that came out on the Internet, and the Internet can be pretty crazy sometimes,” DeWine told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Maj. Garrett on Wednesday.
DeWine said he trusted city officials, who said they had received no credible reports of such conduct.
“Mayor [Rob] Springfield Street says, ‘No, there’s no truth to that.’ They have no evidence for that. So I think we have to go with what the mayor says. He knows his city,” DeWine said.
These baseless rumors have been amplified in recent days by Trump and his allies. Trump repeated this claim during Tuesday’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In Springfield, they eat the dogs, they eat the people who came, they eat the cats,” he said. “They eat the pets of the people who live there. And that’s what’s happening in our country, and it’s a disgrace.”
Earlier this week, Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, shared the claim on social media, saying, “Reports are now showing that pets are being taken and eaten by people who should not be in this country.”
DeWine defended the thousands of Haitian migrants who live in Springfield, but noted that challenges exist with 15,000 migrants settling in a city of fewer than 60,000 people in the past two years.
“These Haitians came here to work because there was work and they filled a lot of positions. And if you talk to the employers, they did a very, very good job and they work very, very hard,” he said.
But Haiti’s lack of health care means the local primary health care system must be expanded to meet the increased needs, DeWine said. He cited the need for vaccinations as an example.
The other challenge, he said, is teaching newcomers how to drive under U.S. laws. He added that Ohio has a loophole that allows drivers over 18 to take a test to get a license without needing training.
“The laws in Haiti are very different than in the United States,” he said. “So the challenge is to train these drivers so they’re safe when they get out on the road.”
