On September 11, in the program “Alt-Analitics” (1,2) aired on “Alt-Info,” the hosts discussed the debate between candidates for the U.S. presidency. During the broadcast, they showed the part of the debate where Donald Trump claimed that migrants in Springfield are eating local residents’ pets. Host Giorgi Kardava explained that several tens of thousands of Haitians who have settled in the city are responsible for this.
The information aired on Alt-Info, claiming that migrants in Springfield, USA, have eaten local residents’ pets, is not based on evidence. The mayor of Springfield and the police have denied the authenticity of the circulated claims.
The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump was organized by ABC News on September 10. During the portion of the debate that addressed U.S. border security and immigration, the 45th President of the United States stated that allowing millions of migrants into the country has led to incidents that people in some cities are too ashamed to discuss. He cited Aurora and Springfield as examples, specifically claiming that in Springfield, migrants are eating the dogs and cats of local residents.
Following Trump’s response, debate moderator and journalist David Muir clarified that ABC News had already contacted Springfield officials, who stated that there were no credible reports of migrants harming local residents’ pets. In response, Trump claimed that he had heard this information on television from the affected people.
Reports that Haitians in Springfield are using domestic and wild animals for food began circulating last month. According to The Guardian, the reports are linked to a widely circulated video in which a citizen at a Springfield city council meeting claimed that Haitians had killed and eaten ducks in a local park.
On September 9, Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance also made a similar claim on platform X.
However, in another tweet published on September 10, Vance wrote that his office had received information from multiple Springfield residents about their neighbors’ pets being taken by Haitian migrants, though he added that “it’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false.”
The Springfield Police Department, as well as the city’s mayor, have repeatedly denied the circulated reports, stating that there is no solid evidence to support these claims.
According to Alt-Info host Giorgi Kardava, several tens of thousands of Haitian migrants have settled in Springfield. However, official data shows that there are between 12,000 and 15,000 migrants living in Clark County, which includes the city of Springfield.
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