VP debate moderators cut microphones as Vance, Walz discuss Springfield Haitian claims
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, accused his Republican counterpart, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday of working to “demonize” immigrants by fabricating a widely debunked rumor that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio have eaten residents’ pets.
Responding to Vance’s claims that Vice President Kamala Harris’ so-called “open-border” policy had torn at the very fabric of American life and impacted towns far from the United States’ southern borders, Walz accused the Republican vice presidential nominee of being more interested in self-promotion and political gain than in solving the country’s immigration challenges.
“By standing with Donald Trump and not working together to find a solution, it becomes a talking point, and when it becomes a talking point like this, we dehumanize and villainize other human beings,” Walz said.
Vance, who has repeatedly echoed a false rumor that spread online that Haitians in Springfield had kidnapped and eaten local wildlife and pets, sought to cast the thousands of Haitians migrants living in the southwestern Ohio city as a burden on resources. Schools and hospitals, he said, are “overwhelmed,” while housing is “totally unaffordable.”
“The people I’m most worried about in Springfield, Ohio are the American citizens,” Vance said.
The exchange marked an explosive moment in an otherwise policy-focused debate that saw both candidates present — in mostly respectful terms — differing views on everything from U.S. foreign policy to domestic manufacturing and climate change.
After one of the debate’s moderators, CBS News host Margaret Brennan, noted that the many of the Haitian migrants in Springfield were in the U.S. legally, Vance repeatedly tried to challenge that claim, saying that those migrants aren’t “coming in and applying for a green card and waiting 10 years.”
The exchange eventually became so chaotic that the moderators cut off Vance and Walz’ microphones.
The rumor that Haitian migrants in Springfield have eaten cats and other pets has become a flashpoint in the presidential race in recent weeks. While the accusations have been repeatedly and forcefully debunked by state and local officials, the claims have made the Ohio city of about 58,000 residents a stand-in for a broader debate over immigration and its effects on American life.
Vance, who represents Ohio in the Senate, began echoing the rumors surrounding Springfield weeks ago, acknowledged during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” last month that he was willing to “create stories” in order to emphasize “the suffering of the American people” caused by large-scale immigration.
The rumors have also been amplified by former President Donald Trump, who repeated them last month during a presidential debate against Harris.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in,” Trump said. “They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
Democrats and immigration activists have slammed the accusations as a racist and bad-faith effort to disparage migrants — including those living in the U.S. legally — and stoke violence against them. The rumors have carried particular resonance in Florida, which has the largest Haitian population in the U.S.
“We know how this kind of hate can spread,” Nikki Fried, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said in a statement. “It starts with threats against one group and grows into hate for immigrants across the country.”
Republicans say that Trump and Vance’s claims about Springfield, which has seen an influx of thousands Haitians and other immigrants in recent years, should be seen as just one piece of a larger story about the effects of the country’s current immigration policy.
“What they’re trying to do is not give you platitudes but concrete examples,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist and former Florida congressional candidate. “The immigration debate isn’t just about illegal immigration. It’s about crime and public safety and housing and health care. This is a terrible situation.”