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Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Sunday defended false claims about Haitian immigrants eating the pets of residents in Springfield, Ohio in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

Asked to support his claims, Vance pointed to what he said are firsthand accounts from constituents who have told him this is happening, though he didn’t provide the evidence. 

Bash replied, “You just said that this is a story that you created.”

Vance said, “It comes from firsthand accounts from my constituents. I say that we’re creating a story, meaning we’re creating the American media focusing on it. I didn’t create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris’ policies. Her policies did that. But yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about this story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris’ policies.”

The city of Springfield notes on its website that approximately 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants live in Clark County, and that Haitian immigrants are there legally as part of a parole program that allows citizens and lawful residents to apply to have their family members from Haiti come to the United States.

Local officials at the city and state level have repeatedly tried to end the rumor about immigrants eating pets. Springfield officials have told press and city commission meetings that there are no credible reports of animal abuse by immigrants in the area.

On Tuesday, Vance said it’s possible the false claim might not be true, but he encouraged his followers to continue posting “cat memes.”

As CNN reported, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said Thursday that the claims are “hurting our citizens and hurting our community,” adding it’s “frustrating” that some of the rhetoric is coming from Vance.