Leaders in the US state of Ohio are trying to douse baseless rumours that Haitian immigrants in a town there have been eating residents’ pets as food.
The allegations have percolated up through right-wing media and were amplified by Donald Trump at his presidential debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday.
“This is something that came up on the internet, and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said.
On Tuesday, a parent in the town of Springfield accused Republicans of politically exploiting his son’s death in a crash caused by a Haitian migrant.
Authorities say some 15,000 migrants of Haitian origin have resettled over the past couple of years in Springfield, a south-western Ohio town with a population of less than 60,000 people.
Some local residents have expressed frustration over the influx, saying the newcomers are straining city resources, from housing to healthcare.
In recent weeks unsubstantiated claims have surfaced on social media that the migrants are abducting and eating animals, from pet cats and dogs to park ducks.
Trump, his running mate JD Vance, the world’s richest man Elon Musk and other conservatives have amplified the reports.
But Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said on Tuesday that “we have not been able to verify any credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community”.
“The news story regarding a cat being killed or consumed did not originate in Springfield,” he added. “It actually involved a Canton woman who was arrested for animal cruelty last month.”
Canton is an Ohio city north-east of Springfield.
“I think we go with what the mayor says,” Governor DeWine told CBS on Wednesday. “He knows his city.”
