The White House warned Tuesday that debunked claims about Haitian immigrants harming household pets could spill over into anti-immigrant violence, as Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance vowed to keep spreading the rumor. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a briefing with reporters that the false claims about immigrants were a “dangerous” variety of conspiracy theory. So, it needs to stop.”The rumor that Haitian immigrants are abducting and eating pets has spread widely on social media and has focused on Springfield, Ohio, a city with a large population of recent immigrants. The baseless claims have been described as racist because of the implication that Haitian immigrants, most of whom are Black, have barbaric practices or are incapable of living peacefully among white neighbors. Vance posted Tuesday on X that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant” and he said other local resources including health care and housing were becoming overwhelmed by demand from new arrivals.

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Persons: Vance, John Kirby, ”, ” Kirby, Haiti’s, “ What’s, you’ve, that’s, let’s, Donald Trump, Marlene Daut, Springfield who’ve, ” Vance, wouldn’t, debunkings, don’t, Aiden Clark, Hermanio Joseph Organizations: National Security, Police, Republican Party, Republican, Yale University, NBC News Locations: Springfield , Ohio, Springfield, France, Ohio, Haitian