TCT-IMM-013 · Crime
Haitian migrants in Springfield were eating residents’ pets
Statement and context
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
2024-09-10, ABC presidential debate, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What the evidence shows
Springfield officials and police said there were no credible reports or substantiated claims of immigrants harming or eating pets. A separate Ohio incident involving a cat occurred in Canton, not Springfield, and the defendant was not a Haitian migrant. The Springfield population at issue included many Haitians lawfully present through temporary protected status or other processes, another reason not to describe the entire group as illegal entrants.
False
Sources and attribution
Tracker research synthesis; inspect the linked evidence and research record.