After amplifying what started as a viral rumor on Facebook, Donald Trump and JD Vance have since quadrupled down on the lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets. The racist claim spawned multiple bomb threats at local schools and heightened fear in the community, especially among Haitians.

A Vance aide was informed by a top Springfield official claims Haitian migrants were eating pets were false, but the VP nominee went ahead with spreading the rumor.

Many Haitian migrants are in the U.S. under Biden administration's Humanitarian Parole and Temporary Protected Status programs.