(NewsNation) — Rob Rue, the mayor of Springfield, Ohio, tells NewsNation’s “CUOMO” his city is “still beautiful” and pets are still safe in Springfield despite unsubstantiated claims Haitian immigrants living there are eating residents’ cats and dogs.
Conspiracy theories about immigrants eating pets in Springfield were amplified earlier this week by Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. In his debate Tuesday against Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump brought up the claim in front of an audience of 67 million despite reports from Springfield authorities the conspiracy has no basis in fact.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said. “And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
At a rally Thursday in Arizona, Trump lamented that Springfield was no longer “beautiful” and once again brought up unsubstantiated claims of immigrants eating pets, mere hours after the city received a bomb threat that resulted in the evacuation of its City Hall and that some argue was instigated by the GOP candidate.
“What this has done is created a negative light that we did not look for, that we did not ask for,” Rue told Chris Cuomo. “These claims are just untrue. We just don’t see reports of those.”
The mayor said these conspiracies have taken attention away from the real infrastructure and integration problems the influx of Haitian migrants has created in Springfield.
“Our safety services are overwhelmed. Our hospitals are overwhelmed. Our school systems are overwhelmed,” Rue noted.
When asked by Cuomo if he, the city or state government asked for the immigrants to relocate to Springfield, Rue said they were given no choice and that the federal government has offered little in the way of assistance.
“This was something that was done to us,” he said. “Under the current federal policy, they’re here legally. There’s nothing that’s taking them out right away. So as a community, we’re trying to embrace them.”