Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is countering a right-wing smear campaign against Haitian immigrants in his state.
During a Sunday stop on ABC This Week, DeWine said “absolutely not” when asked if he’d seen any evidence of the claims, spread by former president Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, that recent immigrants to Springfield are eating pets.
“That’s what the mayor has said. That’s what the chief of police has said,” the Republican governor shared. “Let me tell you what we do know, though. What we know is that Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move and Springfield has really made a great resurgence.”
DeWine admitted that the recent influx has come with “some challenges” including traffic enforcement among drivers who might not be familiar with U.S. roads, but added that the Haitian immigrants are “good workers” who have “helped the economy.”
DeWine’s admonishment came after members of his party have spent the last week spreading baseless accusations against immigrants in the small city. Vance admitted earlier the same morning that he had used the unsubstantiated claims to “create a story” that he wanted to tell.
Since Trump and Vance shared the rumors, Springfield has suffered through a spate of bomb and shooting threats, which the former president has waved off.
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