Washington — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, distanced himself from former President Donald Trump’s false claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are eating people’s pets.
“This is something that came up on the internet, and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes,” DeWine told CBS News’ chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett on Wednesday.
DeWine said he trusts city officials, who have said they have not received any credible reports of such conduct.
“Mayor [Rob] Rue of Springfield says, ‘No, there’s no truth in that.’ They have no evidence of that at all. So, I think we go with what the mayor says. He knows his city, ” DeWine said.
The baseless rumors have been amplified in recent days by Trump and his allies. Trump repeated the claim during Tuesday’s debate against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in — they’re eating the cats,” he said. “They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
Earlier in the week, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, shared the claim on social media, saying, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”
DeWine defended the thousands of Haitian migrants who are living in Springfield, but noted there are challenges that come with 15,000 migrants settling in city with a population of less than 60,000 in the last couple of years.
“These Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of jobs. And if you talk to employers, they’ve done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard,” he said.
But a lack of health care in Haiti means the local primary health care system needs to be expanded to be able to handle the increase in care, DeWine said. One example he cited was their need for vaccinations.
The other challenge, he said, is teaching the new arrivals how to drive according to U.S. laws. He said Ohio has a loophole that allows drivers over 18 to pass a test to obtain a license without needing training.
“The laws in Haiti are very, very different than they are in the United States,” he said. “So the challenge is to get drivers’ training for these individuals so that when they do go on the road, they will be safe.”