COLUMBUS, Ohio — Immigration and border control were both at the forefront of Tim Walz and JD Vance's debate on Tuesday.
Ohio senator Vance's past remarks about Springfield were brought up a short time into the debate by Minnesota Gov. Walz.
Springfield has been at the center of the national immigration debate after false claims surfaced that Haitian immigrants in the city were eating neighborhood pets. City leaders shared that there have been no credible or detailed reports of any pets being abducted or eaten.
Those false claims were amplified by former President Donald Trump during the presidential debate and were spread online by Vance.
RELATED: Vance doesn't back away from false claims about migrants in Ohio even amid threats to the community
Vance was asked in an interview whether he knew the claims were false.
“If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do," Vance said, quickly clarifying that he "created the focus that allowed the media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by policies.”'
Walz accused Vance and Trump of villainizing legal immigrants in Vance’s home state. He pointed to the fact that Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine had to send in extra law enforcement to provide security to the city’s schools after Vance tweeted about and Trump amplified the false claims.
"This is what happens when you don't want to solve it [immigration]," Walz said. "You demonize it. And we saw this — Sen. Vance, and it surprises me on this, talking about and saying, 'I will create stories to bring attention to this.' That vilified a large number of people who worked legally in the community of Springfield."
Vance said the 15,000 Haitians in the city had caused housing, economic and other issues that the Biden-Harris administration was ignoring.
“He’s very worried about the things that I’ve said about Springfield," Vance said. "Look, in Springfield, Ohio, and in communities all across this county, you’ve got schools that are overwhelmed, you’ve got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we’ve brought in millions so illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes."
When the debate moderators pointed out that the Haitians living there had legal status, Vance protested that CBS News had said its moderators would not be fact-checking, leaving the onus to the candidates. As Vance continued and the moderators tried to move on, his microphone was cut and neither man could be heard.
In his New York Times op-ed last month, DeWine wrote, "as a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal immigrants living in Springfield."
"I think the rhetoric is hurtful. I think it's hurtful to everybody in Springfield," DeWine told 10TV's Doug Petcash during an interview. "The reality is the Haitians who are there came to work."