A Springfield, Ohio, resident on his way to work called 911 to report spotting four Haitian migrants snatching geese near a city park just two weeks ago, according to a newly revealed recording.
The call to a Clark County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher, obtained by the Federalist, appears to support a viral claim about some members of the migrant community eating animals in city parks.
Former President Donald Trump blasted the story into the mainstream Tuesday night when he claimed migrants in Springfield were “eating the dogs.”
Local cops and officials denied that anyone has reported pets being taken for food — but residents have previously claimed that ducks and other fowl were being eaten.
“I’m sitting here, I’m riding on the trail, I’m going to my orientation for my job today, and I see a group of Haitian people, there was about four of them, they all had geese in their hand,” the caller told a dispatcher.
He said the group — two men and two women — were each clutching one of the birds when they took off in a gray Toyota Tacoma truck. The caller gave a portion of their license plate he was able to make out.
The Aug. 26 call originated from Springfield, a city of 60,000 about 45 minutes from Columbus — that has become synonymous with fears of culture clashes arising when a large number of migrants move into a small town all at once.
About 20,000 Haitian immigrants have flocked to the sleepy burg in the last four years, which has put significant strain on local resources, prompting city leaders to pen letters to US Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this summer desperately seeking federal aid to ease their economic burdens.
On Tuesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced he was sending Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to help local cops, and was also earmarking $2.5 million to fund the city’s overburdened health system.
The claims about migrants treating local fauna — including household pets — have gone massively viral in recent days.
The credibility level for such reports has varied — and some have been outright hoaxes — but the attention-grabbing viral claims have been boosted by the likes of Elon Musk and Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, which propelled them into the mainstream.
Critics have said the claims are racist against the black Haitian migrants.
Residents attending a Springfield City Commission meeting last month shared a variety of horror stories involving migrants doing everything from harassing locals to throwing mattresses on front lawns to consuming anything on four legs.
Anthony Harris, 28, had a range of complaints about poor migrant behavior.
“These Haitians are running into trash cans. They’re running into buildings. They’re flipping cars in the middle of the street, and I don’t know how like y’all can be comfortable with this,” he vented to city officials at the Aug. 28 meeting.
He also claimed — without evidence — that Haitian migrants were beheading ducks at local parks and taking them home to eat.33
“They’re in the park, grabbing up ducks by the neck and cutting their heads off and eating them.”
Another image that went viral was originally shared on the Columbus subreddit in July shows a man walking down a suburban street holding a goose, though the post’s author provided no additional context.