COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine said he is trusting Springfield city officials when they say there is no evidence of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets after former President Donald Trump repeated false rumors of such acts happening in the city.
During Tuesday night's presidential debate, Trump brought up the Clark County town located about 45 miles west of Columbus, saying immigrants are taking over the city.
“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said. Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump “extreme" for the comment.
DeWine was in Springfield for an unrelated event on Wednesday when he was asked about Trump's comments.
"I think we should take the word of the city manager and the mayor that they have found no credible evidence of that story, of Haitians eating pets," DeWine said.
The governor said the state is not aware of reports either.
DeWine acknowledged that Springfield is dealing with a surge in temporary Haitian migrants. During a Tuesday press conference, he said he doesn't oppose the Temporary Protected Status program under which 15,000 Haitians have arrived in a city of about 59,000 since 2020.
DeWine primarily focused on two issues caused by the surge: healthcare and driving. He said most Haitians are not vaccinated and driver education is an issue since people over 18 can just take a test and as long as they pass, they can get a license. DeWine said issues have cropped up due to Haitians being unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.
In response, DeWine announced on Wednesday he is sending $2.5 million in healthcare resources to help deal with the surge as well as sending additional Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to help with traffic issues.
When asked about the rhetoric during the debate, DeWine said he was not shocked.
"This is election season. We will get through it and move on," DeWine said.
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck released a video statement Wednesday afternoon.
"It is disappointing that the narrative of our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric in a current highly-charged presidential election cycle," Heck said. The full statement can be watched below.
On Sept. 6, a post surfaced on X that shared what looked like a screengrab of a social media post apparently out of Springfield. The retweeted post talked about the person's “neighbor's daughter's friend” seeing a cat hanging from a tree to be butchered and eaten, claiming without evidence that Haitians lived at the house. The accompanying photo showed a Black man carrying what appeared to be a Canada goose by its feet. That post continued to get shared on social media.
DeWine addressed the photo, who said it was taken in Columbus.
"We've investigated that. We will probably continue to investigate it because that would be hunting out of season when you look at the date that took place," DeWine said.
In the meantime, DeWine is asking for patience from residents as the state looks to help Springfield and other Ohio cities dealing with an influx of immigrants. He believes the people of Springfield and Clark County are not anti-Haitian, but they do have legitimate concerns that need to be addressed.
"What I've seen in Clark County is that the vast, vast majority of people, some people are obviously very very upset and I understand that. The vast majority of people are saying 'Look, we're not against Haitians. We're not against people coming here to work. But this is a lot of people coming here in a short period of time and it's created problems’," DeWine.
DeWine's family operates a charity in Haiti in honor of their late daughter, Becky, who died in a car accident. He said the Haitians who have moved to Ohio are generally hard-working people who love their families and who are seeking to escape the violence in their home country for good jobs in Ohio.