Sen. JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate for the 2024 Presidential Election, has been promoting unverified rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets, causing unease among GOP lawmakers.
What Happened: Republican lawmakers expressed their discomfort of Vance’s statements, Business Insider reported on Thursday.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s border policies but avoided engaging in the pet-eating claims.
“I think that conversation, overall, has been distracting from the real issue at hand,” he said.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) representing a New York district with a significant Haitian community, emphasized the importance of focusing on larger issues and respecting the Haitian community.
Despite the backlash, Vance defended his actions, claiming the rumors draw attention to American suffering.
Springfield, Ohio, has seen an influx of Haitian immigrants, which has strained local services but also revitalized the economy. A YouGov poll revealed that 54% of Americans believe the pet-eating claims are false or likely false.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized the false claims, stating they harm Haitian refugees. Other Republicans, like Rep. Marc Molinaro, sidestepped questions about the rumors, focusing instead on broader immigration issues.
Why It Matters: The controversy surrounding Vance’s claims is not occurring in isolation. Trump reiterated similar allegations during a televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on September 10, 2024. Trump claimed that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were abducting and consuming pets, which Harris dismissed as “extreme” and city officials denied.
Additionally, in August, Vance blamed 20 million migrants for the housing crisis, a stance that economists criticized as missing the point. This context shows a pattern of using immigration as a focal point for broader societal issues.
During the same debate, Trump was also noted for being stuck in a loop of discussing drugs, murders, and illegal immigrants, blaming them for various societal problems. He claimed that migrants were “destroying our country,” despite a sharp drop in migration at the U.S.-Mexico border following President Biden’s June mandate limiting border crossings.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
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