The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, acknowledged that his city is “overwhelmed” and struggling with the influx of Haitian migrants now living in the city, but dismissed wild claims that asylum seekers are eating dogs and cats, insisting that everyone's “pets are safe.”
In an interview, Mayor Rob Lew spoke about the migrant crisis and the vicious rumors of animal cannibalism. “CUOMO” by NewsNation The move came Thursday night after former President Donald Trump helped spread false information about the city this week.
“Springfield is still beautiful and the pets of Springfield, Ohio are safe,” Lou said.
The embattled city has attracted national attention in recent weeks after allegations spread on social media that Haitian immigrants were killing local cats, ducks and geese for food.
This claim was further strengthened earlier this week when President Trump took to the stage at a presidential debate and said that immigrants in Springfield were eating people's cats and dogs.
“These allegations are completely false,” Lu said. “There's been a lot of buzz on the Internet, but that's not what we're seeing. It's a bit frustrating.”
“Obviously this incident has created some negative perception, which is not what we wanted or sought,” the mayor said of the national attention.
Lu also said Springfield, a mostly white, working-class city of about 60,000 people, desperately needs help from the federal government to deal with its ongoing immigration crisis.
“We're dealing with a strain on infrastructure due to an influx of immigrants,” he said, referring to the roughly 20,000 Haitian immigrants who have flooded into the city in just a few years.
“Any U.S. community that takes in 25 to 30 percent of their population in a short period of time is going to face strains on their infrastructure,” he continued.
“Our safety services are overwhelmed. Our hospitals are overwhelmed. Our school system is overwhelmed.”
His comments came after Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that the state would add more law enforcement and medical resources to the aid it has already provided to Springfield.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was also deployed to help local police deal with traffic problems caused by an increase in Haitians using the roads, many of whom are unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.
