MSNBC Analyst Says Migrants Cannot Be Stealing Pets Because Ohio Is An ‘Open Carry’ State

MSNBC analyst Maria Hinojosa suggested on Friday that Haitian migrants aren’t stealing pets in Springfield, Ohio, because the state has an open carry law on the books.

Hinojosa denied the unproven reports on MSNBC’s “Ana Cabrera Reports” that Haitian migrants are stealing and eating geese and residents’ pets in Springfield. She argued an owner would point their gun at any migrant who attempted to steal their pet as evidence that the rumors aren’t true.

“I also know Ohio, and Ohio is an open carry state in terms of guns,” Hinojosa said. “And you know how much people love their pets, there is no way that Ohio, where you have guns and people are gonna be allowing these people to walk away with their cats and dogs? You know somebody’s gonna be taking out a gun and saying ‘you’re not taking my dog’ which is why it’s not happening, it’s not true.”

Individuals over the age of 21 in Ohio are permitted to carry a concealed handgun without a license or permit unless they are prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm.

Hinojosa suggested migrants are being “targeted” due to their race, and argued the Trump campaign will “double down” on these rumors.

Republican nominee Donald Trump stated that illegal Haitian migrants in Springfield are eating dogs and cats during Tuesday night’s debate and at a rally in Arizona on Thursday night. Republican vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said on Tuesday that his office has received several inquiries from Springfield that allege that migrants have been abducting their pets, though he acknowledged these reports could be false.

The rumors began when Springfield resident Anthony Harris alleged at a local commission meeting in August that Haitian migrants are beheading and eating ducks in the local parks. A viral social media post in the Springfield Facebook group alleged that a dead cat was found being carved up for a meal near a Haitian neighbor’s home.

“I do not know what they have going on over there, but they cannot do that over here,” Harris said. “I do not want to seem like I am coming down on the immigrants, because it is the people that are bringing them down here … They are in the park, grabbing up ducks by their neck and cutting their head off and walking off and eating them.”

Police bodycam footage showed 27-year-old Alexis Telia Ferrell eating a cat in front of her neighbors in Canton, Ohio, sparking rumors that migrants in the state are eating cats and other pets. Authorities arrested her on Aug. 16 for eating the animal “in a residential area in front of multiple people,” according to Fox 12.

Authorities in Springfield evacuated City Hall on Thursday morning and two elementary schools on Friday due to receiving bomb threats in wake of these rumors.

Springfield residents told the Daily Caller News Foundation that while they have not witnessed pets being eaten, the massive influx of migrants in their community has caused a housing crisis and a surge in crime.