Appearing Sunday on the network that hosted the last presidential debate, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, told ABC News that there is "no" evidence of Haitian migrants eating pets.
"And here's a question I never thought I would have to ask," host Martha Raddatz said to DeWine, "but do you see any evidence, as governor of the state, that Haitian immigrants are eating pets?"
"No. Absolutely not. That's what the mayor has said. That's what the chief of police has said. I think it's unfortunate that this ... came up," DeWine replied.
On Sunday, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, told CNN's Dana Bash, "I was told, Dana ... by the American media, that it was baseless that migrants were capturing the geese from the local park pond and eating them. And yet there are 911 calls from well before this ever became a viral sensation of people complaining about that exact thing happening.
"So my attitude is, Listen to my constituents. Sometimes, they're going to say things that people don't like. But they're saying things that people don't like because their town has been overwhelmed, and it's my job to try to fight for them and to protect them."
Meanwhile, on ABC News, DeWine maintained that the Haitian migrants in Ohio have been "great" for companies and are legal.
"Let me tell you what we do know, though," DeWine said. "What we know is that the Haitians who are in Springfield are legal. They came to Springfield to work. Ohio is on the move, and Springfield has really made a great resurgence with a lot of companies coming in."
"These Haitians came in to work for these companies. What the companies tell us is that they are very good workers. They're very happy to have them there. And, frankly, that's helped the economy," he said.
During Vance's appearance on CNN, the Ohio senator said the legal status granted to Haitian migrants was done so via temporary protected status under the Biden-Harris administration. He also pointed to a concern that as for the economy being great for Ohio residents, that may be in question.