On Sept. 9, Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican who represents New York’s 19th Congressional District, which includes Greater Binghamton, posted a statement to various social media accounts falsely claiming that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets.

The congressman shared a screenshot of a tweet from the Calvin Coolidge Project alleging that Haitian immigrants were stealing pets and other wildlife, butchering them and eating them. Including a photo of a Black man carrying an animal carcass across a street, the post was shared to Molinaro’s various campaign accounts on Facebook, X and Instagram. In the posts, Molinaro blamed Josh Riley — the Democrat running against him — for promoting open borders and dismantling border security.

The caption claimed that “this crisis — the fentanyl flooding our streets, the rampant crime, and now this — is his to own.”

The story, which has been shared by several right-wing politicians, like former President Donald Trump and his running mate U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has been disputed by the Springfield Police Department, which has said that there are no such credible complaints. Trump falsely claimed that migrants in Springfield were eating dogs, cats and other pets during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last Tuesday.

“I am concerned for the safety of people of color, immigrants, the citizens of Springfield, and the first responders who have to deal with the unrest,” Carol LaBorie, of Ithaca, New York, wrote to Pipe Dream. “What Molinaro and his colleagues have said, in addition to the false claims made by Trump and Vance has made the situation there much worse, and also endangers immigrants and people of color everywhere.”

Following the debate, the situation in Springfield has escalated, according to reports. The community has faced ongoing bomb threats causing schools, colleges, hospitals and government offices to be evacuated or closed. The FBI is working with local law enforcement to ensure the safety of residents and locate the origin of the threats.

Other politicians have criticized the spread of the baseless claims. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Springfield Mayor Rob Rue have pleaded for those in the national spotlight to use their words carefully. Riley called out Molinaro for “rage-tweeting.”

“Instead of demanding a vote on the bipartisan bill that would secure the southern border, Molinaro is rage-tweeting dangerous, racist, debunked conspiracy theories,” Riley wrote in an email. “He’s not serious about securing the border. I am.”

Molinaro has since doubled down, including to POLITICO, citing the “Manlius” case, where a beloved local swan was allegedly stolen and eaten last year by three teenagers near Syracuse. He said the Springfield rumor is based on facts about Black immigrant cultures and that lax border policies have allowed people “with no capacity to support themselves” into the United States.

This post is only part of a larger ongoing battle over immigration policy between Molinaro and Riley. Molinaro recently introduced a bill that would create a “publicly available database” listing the names and residential locations of undocumented immigrants with felony convictions, while Riley has expressed support for securing the border and expediting how quickly judges can process immigration cases. The issue has become a major point of contention in the fight for the 19th District, one of a few contested seats that will determine which party will hold a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives come January.

“Too many college students are being poisoned by a fentanyl epidemic stemming from Josh Riley’s wide open border policies,” Molinaro wrote to Pipe Dream. “I’ll fight for you every day!”

Comson Cao, the vice president of the Binghamton University College Republicans and an undeclared sophomore, criticized Republicans’ usage of this story in the immigration debate. He expressed concerns that more accurate and effective arguments regarding the “net negatives” of modern immigration are being ignored for the sensational.

“The right is playing a very dumb game with this and they are letting themselves get distracted from the real discourse surrounding modern immigration all for the sake of milking this story as hard as possible regardless of its actual validity,” Cao wrote in an email.

Despite the backlash, the post has not been removed from Molinaro’s social media.