Casten’s GOP rival defends Trump, Vance on debunked claims about migrants eating pets

A suburban Republican congressional candidate on Monday defended GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance for perpetuating debunked claims that immigrants are eating pets and wild animals in an Ohio town.

Sixth District hopeful Niki Conforti of Glen Ellyn also blamed crime in Chicago and elsewhere, as well as the spread of communicable diseases, on immigrants.

“[They] are a direct result of unchecked crossings at the border,” Conforti said.

Conforti’s opponent in the race, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove, called the allegations false.

Such comments are made, Casten said, “for no reason other than to traffic in hatred.”

Conforti and Casten discussed immigration, abortion and other issues during a one-hour joint interview with the Daily Herald on Zoom. A recording can be viewed at dailyherald.com.

Trump and Vance repeatedly have said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, have abducted and eaten dogs and cats. Trump repeated the allegation during last week’s televised debate with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris; Vance has acknowledged the stories could be false.

Ohio officials have said no credible or detailed reports about the claims exist.

Conforti said she believes Trump and Vance were responding to police bodycam video of officers arresting a woman after the death of a cat in Ohio.

According to media reports, the woman who was arrested is an Ohio native, not an immigrant.

“Was she an illegal? Was she a citizen? That I don’t know,” Conforti said.

Conforti also referred to a much-shared photograph of a person carrying what appeared to be a dead goose, again reportedly in Springfield, as an example of immigrants killing animals. While admitting she didn’t know if the man is a Haitian immigrant, Conforti said she assumed he took the goose “to roast it for dinner.”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources determined the photograph was taken in Columbus, not Springfield. The case is under investigation, the agency said Monday.

Separate complaints about Haitian people removing waterfowl from a park in Springfield were unfounded, the agency said.

Conforti said she believes the incidents are happening.

“They don’t fit the narrative of the left, so they are being buried,” she said.

Conforti expressed concern about people being afraid to walk their dogs or let their kids play outside over fears of being attacked by immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally. She alleged Venezuelan gangs are “taking over” Aurora, Colorado, and other cities, as Trump claimed during last week’s debate.

In late August, Aurora officials released a statement in which they acknowledged a Venezuelan gang was operating in town but reports of the gang’s influence were “isolated.”

Conforti also incorrectly claimed children set to attend a school on Chicago’s South Side were turned away and forced to work remotely on computer tablets because immigrants were being housed in the school building.

A Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman called that “simply untrue.”

Conforti accused migrants of spreading measles and other diseases in the Chicago area, too.

Casten said almost everything Conforti said about immigration was false. He called the stories from Trump and Vance about migrants “evil” and said talking about immigration in the way Conforti did “[puts] people’s lives at risk.”

Conforti stood by her remarks.

“Everything I stated has been documented and reported, and I stated no falsehoods,” she said. “His accusing me of doing so just underscores the narrative that he and his party are pushing and the misinformation they are pushing out to the public.”

As for immigration policy, Casten said he supports creating a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as minors. He also touted President Joe Biden’s decision to end the Trump-era strategy of separating migrant families at the border.

“We need to maintain a decent amount of humanity in that process,” Casten said.

Conforti said she’s the daughter and granddaughter of Greek immigrants. The U.S. needs to check the health and criminal backgrounds of would-be immigrants like it did with her family, she said, and promptly send back people who fail either test.

The 6th District includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties. Election Day is Nov. 5.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240916/us-congress-politics/castens-gop-rival-defends-trump-vance-on-debunked-claims-about-migrants-eating-pets/