Buckeye Reporter

A Buckeye Reporter investigation has confirmed that Mayor Rob Rue of Springfield, Ohio, is renting out apartments in buildings that he owns to Haitian immigrants—a move that some local residents are calling a conflict of interest. 

The Haitian community in Springfield has gained national attention after former president Donald Trump's debate comments on Sept. 10, alleging that Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs. 

However, locals argue that they're the ones being put through the meat grinder due to a strained local economy from the influx of Haitian immigrants that now comprises roughly 25 percent of the population in Springfield. 

A few blocks away from Little and Rue Funeral Home, also owned by Rue, a 37-year-old man who introduced himself as “Works” lives in an apartment on an estate worth an estimated $1.3 million. 

Works told Buckeye Reporter that he and other Haitian immigrants reside in properties owned by Rue.

“For me it is not a bad city,” said Works. “I have one years and two months in Springfield.” 

However, he added that the Haitian community has been upset by Trump’s allegations. 

“Some people are scared to go out after [Trump’s comments],” Works said. 

Works cut the conversation short when he was picked up by his ride to work. 

According to public records, Rue owns several rental properties in Springfield through his company, Littleton Properties of Springfield LLC.

In addition to being the mayor, Rue is the President and General Manager of Littleton & Rue Funeral Home. 

Rue became the Mayor of Springfield in 2023 and previously served as City Commissioner and Assistant Mayor, and is actively involved in local community boards.

Several residents have expressed disappointment with Rue’s leadership, suspecting he may have ulterior motives as he has overseen a significant influx of Haitian immigrants over the past two years.

Approximately 20,000 immigrants from Haiti have been brought into the community, with rumors suggesting that another 10,000 may arrive.

The strain on the local economy, public safety, and school system has made him a target for criticism.

Concerns about Rue profiting from the immigration crisis have led some to call for his recusal from city matters related to the community.

“If Mayor Rue is renting out his properties to illegals the public should know. He should recuse himself from any vote on the Commission because he directly benefits financially from any federal funds received to support the illegals,” the Futurist™ X account said last week. 

Residents of Springfield have noted they have been kicked out of their apartments to make room for Haitian immigrants.  

“They've been raising the rent a lot,” 16-year-old Saphire Flores told Buckeye Reporter. 

Sitting on the front porch of Flores’ grandparent’s home only a few doors down from a home owned by mega landlord George Ten, 10-year-old Khyre Davis said he and his family were displaced by Haitians. 

“Our landlord kicked us out so they can move some of the Haitians in,” Davis Buckeye Reporter. 

Sitting on a bench near Springfield’s municipal building in downtown, residents
Bill Monaghan, Jeff Clos and Clos’ wife Lori said there is a growing movement to replace local politicians like Rue.

Lifelong residents such as Monaghan, 62, noted that rental prices for Haitian immigrants are more profitable because landlords can charge a per-person fee.

Monaghan, a former journalist, helps manage a Facebook page called “Stop the Influx Into Springfield, Ohio.”

“The town has been flooded with migrants and it has caused a shortage of housing, has caused a huge increase in rental prices,” Monaghan said. “It's pushing people out of their homes so that Landlords can replace it with people so they could basically charge by the cot instead of by the unit.” 

Monaghan said the lack of housing is causing real issues. 

“The housing market is just tight,” he said. “People can't, let alone affordable housing, you can't find any housing in this town.” 

Monaghan said the situation is being exploited by certain individuals who are turning a profit.  

“You've got this George Ten guy from First Diversity who now, you live in his house, he drives you to work, he takes a cut of your pay. It's just like a modern day slave operation,” he said. 

Next door to Ten's First Diversity offices are a general store geared towards the Haitian population as well as a Haitian religious and community center.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State, Ten owns a series of businesses including Yankee Cleaning, LLC, Ten Enterprises, LLC, Emergent Enterprises, LLC, Tenmoore Investments, LLC, First Diversity New York, LLC and Stonehouse Kitchen & Cabinets, LLC. 

Through Ten Enterprises, LLC he owns at least 42 buildings in Springfield. 

“He runs these temp agencies, brings in migrant workers, recruits them at the border, or probably with that all of these Haitians,” Monaghan said. “They're probably flying in straight from Haiti with this TPS program (Temporary Protected Status). So, yeah, he's kind of one of the leading slumlords, slave masters or whatever you want to call the guys in his operation.” 

Monaghan said the entire immigration operation in Springfield reeks of corruption. 

"[They are] doing it through these weird public private partnerships," he said. "And it just seems like there's a lot of opportunity to launder money this way instead of having a centralized location where everything is being handled by one organization in the county. Instead, the city's doing one thing, the county is doing something else. Catholic Social Services does something else. It's just all a tremendous waste of money. And it's I guess it's so obvious that it's got to be intentional."

Clos, a 49-year-old forklift operator, said he feels the push to bring Haitians to Springfield is driven by greed on behalf of the ruling class. 

At 22.7% of the population, the poverty rate in Springfield is far higher than the nation’s rate of 11.5%. 

Meanwhile wages have not gone up for existing Springfield residents who are now forced to compete for housing.  

“You've got landlords right now that's kicking the tenants out,” Clos said. “They say, 'look here, we're raising rent up to $1,500 a month.' They say, 'I can't afford it.' 'You can't afford it, there's the door we'll bring somebody else in.' It's all about the mighty dollar now. Here you just had our governor on television just the other day talking about, we kick out our homeless, get rid of the homeless shelters. We don't help our vets anyone. They need help. She got our vets out here. And you have the homeless people out here now with the needs help."

Clos said state level politicians like Gov. Mike DeWine are to blame as well. 

“They don't have funds for it, they say, but yet all of a sudden [DeWine] brings to him $2.5 million,” Clos said. “He pulls it out of his rear-end or whatever he did and said, 'this is going to go take care of the Haitian population.' It's just ridiculous.” 

Clos added that the problem is the politicians, not the Haitians. 

“They're not looking out for us,” he said of leadership. “They're looking out for the immigrants and I have nothing them, they're getting a bad rap as well."

Meanwhile, he said the elite class in the city is cashing in. 

“It's just ridiculous and it's all about the mighty dollar,” Clos said. “When you come right down to the bottom line, it's about the money. That's what everybody's out for.” 

He and others have said when they bring their concerns about issues such as increased traffic accidents and public safety impacts, residents have been met with with deaf ears. 

Monaghan said that anyone who speaks against the political class is disrespected. 

“If you raise a concern, they're clever in not calling you racist to insinuate that your issues are racially motivated,” he said. 

Clos agreed with that analysis. 

“That's just the thing, any time you try to say something about it they say, 'oh yeah you're racist' and that race doesn't have to do any of this,” he said. “Like you talked about a moment ago about the housing, how stuff is going for $400 or $500 for now, you're paying double, triple that for the same place and we're talking about rundown shacks." 

Monaghan said he believes the next municipal elections will bring changes at the ballot box.