Ohio AG Orders Investigation Into City’s Surge of Haitian Immigrants

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 6, 2018. Justin Merriman/Getty Images

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said he is ordering an investigation into ways to stop what he describes as “extreme population growth” due to migrants coming into the city of Springfield.

Allegations by some residents that Haitian immigrants are eating park ducks, cats, and other animals received national attention this week, with politicians, including Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), talking about it.

In a news release, Yost did not refer to any specific allegations but stated that Springfield, a city with a population of about 58,000, “has swollen by more than a third due to migrants.”

He cited residents’ reports of immigrants “stealing property ... including livestock, squatting in homes, and killing wildlife for food.”

“How many people can they be expected to take? What are the limits to the federal government’s power? Could the federal government simply funnel into Ohio all the millions of migrants flooding in under the current administration’s watch?” Yost asked.

The attorney general added that “there’s got to be a limiting principle,” and “we’re going to find a way to get this disaster in front of a federal judge.”

“The problem is not migrants, it is way, way too many migrants in a short period of time,” Yost said. “The problem is a massive increase in the population without any communication or assistance from the federal government.”

The Epoch Times contacted the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit that helps Haitian immigrants, for comment on Tuesday.

The Epoch Times has also contacted the Springfield Police Division multiple times for comment about the reports of pets or park animals being eaten by Haitian migrants, including whether the immigrants are in the United States illegally, but received no word back by press time.

Springfield Strategic Engagement Manager Karen Graves told The Epoch Times on Tuesday “that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” responding to the recent allegations made by Vance.

“There have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes,” Graves separately told a local media outlet. “Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

Vance wrote in a post on X on Sept. 9 that “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” referring to illegal immigrants in Springfield. He did not refer to any specific reports.

“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” he said.

It’s unclear exactly where the claims of migrants eating pets or park animals began, but they gained momentum on social media over the past weekend.

In a new post on Tuesday morning, Vance said his office received inquiries about the claims, adding that there is a possibility “that all of these rumors turn out to be false.”

During an August meeting of the Springfield City Commission, a 28-year-old man, who was not named, said that Haitian migrants were killing ducks at a local pond before taking them home to eat.

“They’re in the park grabbing up ducks by they [sic] neck and cutting they [sic] head off and walking up with them and eating them,” the man said, calling on the city government to do something about the influx of migrants.

“These Haitians are running into trash cans, they’re running into buildings, they’re flipping cars in the middle of the street,” he said.

During a Springfield City Commission meeting on Aug. 13, a woman the commission referred to as Noel said that she felt “so unsafe” due to homeless immigrants arriving in her neighborhood. She said they camped and squatted on her lawn.

“I have men that cannot speak English in my front yard screaming at me, throwing mattresses in my front yard, throwing trash in my front yard,” Noel said. “Look at me, I weigh 95 pounds,” she said. “I couldn’t defend myself if I had to.”

The woman told the commission she wants to leave Springfield: “Give me a reason to stay.”

Earlier this year, the federal government announced Temporary Protected Status for Haitians who arrived in the United States before June 3, 2024, including for people who entered the country illegally, from being deported back to Haiti, considered by the World Bank to be the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.