Springfield staffing firm responds to allegations of busing, exploiting Haitians

Ten and his wife Rachael Ten recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the Springfield News-Sun, where they denied busing in Haitians en masse or any mistreatment of workers or tenants. They said their employees are paid competitive wages and that their rents are affordable.

“Let’s face it, I’m an outsider in Springfield, Ohio, who’s helping outsiders,” George Ten said. “That’s the fact of the matter. That’s what this situation has become.”

In addition to the interview, the News-Sun researched his business holdings and visited several properties owned by Ten to get a fuller picture of his operation.

George Ten’s claims are in contrast to Springfield residents who have voiced concerns about George Ten and First Diversity Staffing in public forums.

“Citizens have brought forward complaints about First Diversity during city commission meetings in the context of immigration,” said city spokesperson Karen Graves. “The context of the complaints related to First Diversity being involved in bringing the immigrants to Springfield.”

These complaints include accusations that staffing agencies like First Diversity were bringing immigrants into the community to exploit cheap labor, and that Ten owns run-down rental properties housing large numbers of Haitians who are being charged high rental rates. One city resident, Mark Sanders, has raised concerns about numerous addresses to city commissioners at meetings for months, with some properties being owned by Ten.

An investigation started last year by city of Springfield officials into concerns surrounding employment and housing of Haitians is ongoing, city officials say. No specific companies or individuals have been named as the focus of the probe.

“An ongoing investigation is being conducted with the appropriate law enforcement agencies looking into matters of human ‘job’ trafficking and other potential criminal activities involving staffing agencies in our community,” Graves said.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office would neither confirm nor deny whether they are involved in any criminal investigations involving human trafficking or exploitation of Haitian immigrants.

Matthew Scott, a spokesman for First Diversity, said company officials couldn’t name any individuals engaged in such activities, but they believe it’s happening.

“We know from our daily interactions with the Haitian community in Springfield that there are people here who exploit them, take advantage of them and don’t treat them with the dignity that they deserve,” Scott said.

The growth of Springfield’s Haitian community, now estimated at about 12,000-15,000 people, has become a talking point in the national debate over immigration law following false claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets. While law enforcement and city officials say there is zero evidence to back these claims, they have shared concerns about the treatment of immigrants and other impacts of the sudden increase in population.

Busing allegations

George Ten says his companies had a minor role in bringing Haitians to Springfield, but said they are not busing people in as people have alleged for some time.

First Diversity, which is headquartered in Springfield and owned by George Ten, employs an estimated 1,800-2,000 people at a time.

George Ten says he hires locals, but be doesn’t deny that a large percentage of his employees, whom he subcontracts out to work at other employers, are Haitian. He insists he follows a rigorous process to make sure they are legal to work in the U.S.

“They really want to work,” he said, contrasting that with other workers who he said engage in “hard living,” including drinking, drugs, excessive partying and only showing up to work a few days a week. He said his turnover rate is much, much lower than most staffing agencies.

“A lot of times (Haitian workers) are oftentimes overlooked and forgotten by a lot of staffing companies because they don’t speak the language, they’re Black so those things sometimes hinder them in markets where they’re not as prevalent,” he said. “That’s in our name, First Diversity ... we welcome working with people.”

Ohio business records show First Diversity Staffing was incorporated by George Ten’s father Miguel Ten in 2002, followed by several related businesses. George has since taken over the staffing company.

The company is headquartered in Springfield with multiple Ohio offices as well as locations in North Carolina and Kentucky. Business records say George Ten has also formed businesses in New York and Pennsylvania.

George Ten said a number of Haitian immigrants followed his company to Springfield from Indianapolis around 2018-2020 after First Diversity closed an account there.

“The people were displaced in Indianapolis, and they followed us here to Ohio due to available work,” he said. “It was gradual, then sudden.”

Population growth

George Ten claimed that federal policy contributed to the growth of Springfield’s Haitian community far more than he did.

After changes streamlined the process by which Haitians can come into the U.S. legally and apply for Temporary Protected Status, “the floodgates opened” and First Diversity was well-positioned to serve the Haitian community.

“Not only they opened, they encouraged those who were already here who had gainful employment, so long as you met certain criteria, to call your loved ones in Haiti and sponsor them to come here,” George Ten said. “So the situation went vertical from there because the housing was cheap here — it’s cheaper than Florida, the opportunities were plentiful here as far as employment.”

When those immigrants found success, they told their own friends and family, who then came to experience it for themselves. Since then, the city has continued to see exponential growth in Haitian immigrants, most of whom seek jobs or schooling. First Diversity is an early stop for many.

Rachael Ten said First Diversity does not sponsor Haitian immigrants to enter the U.S. or come to Springfield, but it does write letters of recommendation for employed Haitian immigrants to present to immigration officials to improve their chances of sponsoring their own loved ones.

“(They say) ‘I need a letter of employment, I need proof that I work for you, I need to show the federal government that I can sustain my family members,’ ” Rachael Ten said. “We do that for them because they are employees; they work for us. We are their home of record and we have all that information. Why not? It’s no different than other things we do for people; if the job requires a resume and they don’t have one, let’s sit down.”

Rental units

George Ten said some have painted him out to be a “cartoonish villain” who takes advantage of immigrants, including with his rental properties. He said this is categorically false.

George Ten created the company Ten Enterprises LLC in 2015, according to state business records. Clark County property records show Ten Enterprises owns 48 properties in the county.

George and Rachael Ten said this amounts to 69 rental units. They said 12 are vacant because they are not yet in livable condition. Of the remaining properties, they said 12 are rented to Haitian immigrants and just four are employed by First Diversity.

“We are not housing people in unlivable conditions,” Rachael Ten said. “We are housing families. We are not housing and charging people for cots. We’re not doing that.”

The properties range in price from $650 for one-bedroom units, $750 for two bedrooms — the majority of units, up to a maximum of $975 for four bedrooms, Rachael Ten said.

Asked by the News-Sun about complaints related to George Ten and his rental properties, city spokeswoman Graves said: “We are not aware of any formal complaints specific to George Ten’s properties.”

Housing concerns

The Tens aren’t the only ones criticized for renting to Haitians. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has been accused of profiting off immigrants because he owns multiple rental properties.

“I in no way have benefited at all from the immigrants who have come into our community personally,” he said at a city commission meeting in August.

Rue told the News-Sun Tuesday that Haitian immigrants rent some of the duplexes he owns, having been “the first to get there.” He also rents to non-Haitian individuals. The mayor said he owns properties near his business, Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and Crematory, so that he can control their condition. He said he charges $900 or less for monthly rent.

“I’ve never evicted anybody; I’ve never sought to really even be in the landlord business, but I wanted to be able to control those properties,” Rue said. “That was the only reason.”

It would be illegal to not rent to someone specifically because they are Haitian, as that would violate fair housing laws prohibiting discrimination based on country of origin. It would also be illegal to charge someone more for rent because they are Haitian.

Officials with local social service agencies say they have heard reports of Haitians being exploited, packed into too-small apartments with no water, electricity or heating. But they have not publicly identified specific landlords.

This is one area the city is investigating with its Immigration Accountability Response Team probe launched last year. The News-Sun has requested minutes and other records from the team’s meetings but has not received the records.

Reporter visits units

A News-Sun reporter recently visited several properties owned by Ten Enterprises. None of the properties visited looked overly run down. Some, but not all, of the tenants were Haitian. Several of the tenants did not want to be interviewed. Two Haitian tenants did talk to us, through a translator.

Venel Scylla lives in a Ten Enterprises home on Shaffer Street with two other adult Haitians. The rent is $500 per bedroom, he said, with all utility costs included.

Scylla works at a nearby bakery and has lived in Springfield for a year. When he first arrived, he lived in a boarding house run by a friend he’d previously met in Chile. He was not charged a boarding fee. His friend helped him out until he was able to get a job and rent a room.

Like other Haitians have said, once Scylla arrived in Florida, he heard that Springfield had jobs, so he drove with others up here.

Scylla said he likes Springfield, and he’s had no major problems. He said he minds his own business, and that Americans seem to do the same.

“Us Haitians, we love to live in community, but Americans tend to stick to their own,” he said. “You pass by, say hello, and continue on your way. As long as you don’t bother nothing, they won’t bother you.”

Elancia Dorce Simon lives with her family in half of a double on Shaffer Street in another Ten Enterprises property. She pays $750 per month in rent.

Simon arrived in Springfield in March, making the move after a cousin who was already here suggested she come.

Simon has not yet found a job, mainly due to her lack of English skills. Simon takes English language classes but several classes were canceled recently due to bomb threats.

“I was taking English classes but they had to stop them because of all the chaos, which was frustrating because I’m trying to learn English,” Simon said.

Workplace concerns

Many people have expressed concern that the Haitian population is vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace. Concerns include employers skimming their paychecks, or charging them for transportation to work.

First Diversity is a staffing agency that finds people job opportunities. Some employers will contract with First Diversity and pay the company, which in turn pays its employees, George Ten said. He said the average pay is $17 an hour at an average 44-hour work week.

He said the staffing company does not take money out of its workers’ wages. For the sake of easy math, he used the example of an employee paid $15 an hour — he said First Diversity charges the company an additional $2.50 an hour for it to fund its own business.

To help employees who do not have transportation, First Diversity contracts with third-party companies to shuttle workers to and from work, George Ten said. He said the vans are not authorized to pick people up for any other purpose on behalf of First Diversity.

The Haitians who work for First Diversity are all in the country legally, Rachael Ten said, and the company requires I-9 forms, which determine if an employee is eligible to work in the U.S. All employees receive W-2 tax forms and are paid through direct deposit or by check if necessary, she said.

With its workforce, First Diversity contributed $250,000 in taxes to Springfield last year, Rachael Ten said. City officials did not immediately respond to a request to confirm that number.

‘King George’

Allegations against First Diversity abound. Detractors gave George Ten the nickname “King George.” George Ten himself said he doesn’t care much for titles.

“I’m just George. I’m here to help people. And that’s what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years or so, and it shows,” he said.

In a statement to the News-Sun, former state representative Kyle Koehler — who is running for a state Senate seat representing Clark and Greene counties — said: “I am shocked that much of what we are experiencing has been orchestrated by this employment agency who never informed our community leaders about the workers they brought to Springfield.”

“While profiting off the labor of thousands of Haitians, this temp agency failed to inform our schools, our healthcare providers, our local health department or really anyone for that matter,” Koehler said. “These types of actions bring into question whether they are operating with the best interest of our community — but even more importantly, the interest of the impoverished individuals they seem to be taking advantage of.”

Koehler’s Democratic opponent Dan McGregor said if elected he would “propose legislation requiring full transparency from staffing agencies placing vulnerable populations, including that such agencies are auditable,” among other things.

“While accusations against staffing agencies are being investigated it is important to remember that the majority of Haitians (in) Springfield are legally present and have access to legal protections,” McGregor said. “At a base level, the rights and dignity of immigrants with the right to work should be upheld, and laws against discrimination, as well as those mandating a minimum wage need to be enforced. Haitians and other immigrant groups significantly contribute to the local economy and seek safety for their families, and are often fleeing violence in their home country. They should not face further trauma or vilification for someone else’s political gain.”

Amid the national attention to the issue, the Tens said they and their business have been subject to harassment, much of which is “of a racist nature,” Rachael Ten said. Some messages through First Diversity’s contact page have included slurs, she said.

Rosie Schelfo, Springfield branch manager, said it has been hard to see falsehoods spread about First Diversity, and personal attacks have not helped. She emphasized that First Diversity provides services for everyone, not just Haitian immigrants.

“We help every human coming through this door,” Schelfo said.

The staffing agency has a second-chance employment program, headed by Bobby Mims, director of reentry services. Mims visits prisons and the Clark County Jail to share First Diversity’s program, and ends up employing an estimated 150-250 previously incarcerated U.S. citizens annually.

At the end of the day, the Tens said they are working hard to help the community find jobs. George Ten said employing Haitian immigrants has led to the “resurrection” of the city and that “history will reflect” this.

“Diversity is always good: Diversity of thinking, diversity of culture, diversity, you name it,” George Ten said. “I think it makes the outcome better, the end product always better.”

Contributing writer Vicky Forrest and translator Jehanne Dufresne contributed to this story.