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. 

“This kind of disinformation is dangerous because there will be people that believe it no matter how ludicrous and stupid it is,” he said. “And they might act on that kind of information and act on it in a way where somebody could get hurt. 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. Police there issued a statement Monday knocking down the claims, saying “there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” 

Kirby said a more meaningful topic of discussion would be how to help the people fleeing Haiti’s gang conflict and political turmoil. 

“What’s deeply concerning to us is you’ve got now elected officials in the Republican Party pushing yet another conspiracy theory that’s just seeking to divide people based on lies and, let’s be honest, based on an element of racism,” he said. 

The rumors about pets in Springfield began going viral over the weekend, based in part on residents’ comments at public hearings and a fourth-hand story posted in a Facebook group devoted to crime. By Monday, they had mushroomed into a talking point embraced by supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, adding fresh vitriol in an election race where immigration was already a heated topic. 

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. Marlene Daut, a Yale University professor of French and African diaspora studies, told NBC News in March that claims of alleged Haitian ruthlessness by European and white Americans can be traced back to Haiti’s successful slave rebellion and independence from France in 1804.

Vance, a senator from Ohio, had alleged in a post on X on Monday that undocumented immigrants had abducted and eaten pets, citing unspecified reports. He addressed the issue again Tuesday in a different way: acknowledging that the rumors could be false while urging Republicans to keep talking about it. 

Vance said Tuesday that people in Springfield had contacted his office about their neighbors’ pets. 

“In the last several weeks, my office has received many inquiries from actual residents of Springfield who’ve said their neighbors’ pets or local wildlife were abducted by Haitian migrants,” Vance posted on X. 

“It’s possible, of course, that all of these rumors will turn out to be false,” he added. 

Vance added that he wouldn’t be dissuaded by debunkings in the news media. 

“In short, don’t let the crybabies in the media dissuade you, fellow patriots. Keep the cat memes flowing,” he posted. 

A representative for Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Replies to Vance on X were split. Some users posted cat memes in support of him, while others asked Vance why Springfield residents would call their senator about a missing pet and not the police. 

Vance also referenced the death of an 11-year-old boy near Springfield in August 2023. The boy, Aiden Clark, was killed and more than 20 others injured when a Haitian immigrant driving a minivan hit their school bus. The driver, Hermanio Joseph, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide and sentenced to between nine and 13 years in prison. 

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.