J.D. Vance claims that pet-eating Haitian immigrants are spreading HIV

After lying about Haitian immigrants eating cats and dogs, Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) is now claiming that the same group of immigrants has caused a “skyrocketing” rise in HIV and tuberculosis cases in Springfield, Ohio.

Although city officials say there’s no evidence to support these claims, Vance’s claims have nonetheless contributed to bombing threats; the closures of schools, offices, and churches; and violent attacks against local Black residents and property as well as a march by members of the far-right, neo-fascist militant organization The Proud Boys.

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Meanwhile, social media commenters have blasted Vance as a racist liar, and Vance himself has said he’s willing to “create stories” to get the media to focus on anti-immigrant narratives.

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Because of the lies about Haitians, this is happening. The Proud Boys showed up. In Springfield, Ohio. The GOP and Trump are complicit. pic.twitter.com/ylSW62E0dt

— CollinCounty ⭐️Texas Democrats (@CollinDems) September 15, 2024

When asked about the Proud Boys’ march this weekend on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Vance replied, “Of course, I don’t align myself with the views of the Proud Boys … but we have to remember this is a real problem. The media uses things like a dozen marchers to ignore and distract from the fact that thanks to Kamala Harris’ open borders, there are children who aren’t getting a good education. Thanks to her open border, there is a rise of HIV cases in Springfield, Ohio.”

Ohio Department of Health director Bruce Vanderhoff said the state isn’t seeing a “measurable or discernible increase” in vaccine-preventable illnesses, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Vance’s running mate, former President Donald Trump has previously accused Haitian immigrants of attempting to spread “AIDS” in the United States.

“Take a look at what’s happening in Haiti. A tremendous problem with AIDS,” he said in a late 2021 interview with Fox News. “Many of those people will probably have AIDS and they’re coming into our country and we don’t do anything about it. We let everybody come in. It’s like a death wish for our country.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) listed Haitians as a high-risk group for spreading HIV in the U.S. in 1983, during the rise of the HIV epidemic. Though the CDC removed the island nation as a high-risk group by 1985, the association has stuck.

As for Harris’ “open borders” policies, Springfield’s large Haitian immigrant population is in the country legally and eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status, according to a Springfield government information page.

Regarding the pet-eating claim, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck said there weren’t any credible reports of “pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” in Heck’s statement to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

“It is disappointing that some of the narrative surrounding our city has been skewed by misinformation circulating on social media and further amplified by political rhetoric in the current highly charged election cycle,” Heck said.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has also said there’s no evidence of immigrants harming and eating local animals.

A queer woman whose early Facebook post helped spread the baseless claim about Haitians eating local pets has since admitted that she had no firsthand knowledge of it happening – she said it came from an acquaintance of a friend of a neighbor – and now regrets the effects of the viral claim.

CNN anchor Dana Bash asked Vance during his weekend appearance on State of the Union, “Can you affirmatively say now that this is a rumor that has no base basis with evidence?”

Vance replied, “The evidence is the firsthand account of my constituents who are telling me that this happened.” Despite his claims, the Springfield Police Division has also told local news media that officers haven’t received any local reports of pets being stolen or eaten.

“I’ve been trying to talk about the problems in Springfield for months, and the American media ignored it,” Vance continued. “The American media totally ignored this stuff, until Donald Trump and I started talking about cat memes. If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do, Dana, because you guys are completely letting Kamala Harris coast.”

When Bash pointed out that he admitted to “creating the story” about the pet-eating Haitians, Vance said, “We’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it…. We created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story, and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’s policies.”

Numerous commentators have noted that such baseless claims of spreading disease and harming innocent creatures are examples of “blood libel” used by Nazis and fascists to whip up widespread hatred against Jews and immigrants.

Vance claims he and Trump have to "create stories" about migrants eating cats and dogs "so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people."

There is then some awkward dead air as Bash tries to highlight the absurdity of what he just said pic.twitter.com/IN26ZGYsvE

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 15, 2024

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