On Sunday, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance stated that he has no remorse for promoting false rumors that Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. He insisted that highlighting these claims brought media attention to his and former President Donald Trump’s opposition to U.S. border policies.

“If it takes crafting stories for the American media to pay attention to the struggles faced by Americans, then I will do just that,” Vance remarked during CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Local authorities in Springfield have debunked these reports, and the woman behind the original Facebook post admitted she lacked firsthand evidence of her claims.

The former president mentioned these accusations during a debate last week with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. The rumors have incited threatening calls and bomb threats in Springfield.

Vance, who is also a U.S. senator for Ohio, rejected any notion that Trump’s remarks incited threats.

He explained that both he and Trump were advocating for residents concerned about an influx of around 15,000 people into the town, which has a population of about 58,000, over the past three years.

“Are we supposed to remain silent on these issues because of a few extremists threatening violence? We can condemn the violence while also addressing the severe impact of Kamala Harris’s open border policies,” Vance stated.

“We brought attention to the situation that allowed the media to discuss this issue and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’s policies,” he continued.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine criticized the claims propagated by Trump that Haitian immigrants are consuming dogs and cats in Springfield, calling them “harmful” and “unproductive.”

“Much of what circulates online is false, and this particular rumor is completely baseless with no evidence backing it,” DeWine told ABC’s “This Week.”

Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck confirmed that there is no proof of any pets being harmed or eaten by immigrants.

“In light of recent unfounded rumors suggesting illegal activities involving immigrants in our community, we want to clarify there have been no credible reports of pets suffering harm, injury, or abuse by anyone in the immigrant community,” Heck stated in a public statement.