Law enforcement officials in Lincoln County, Oregon, have condemned an anonymous letter encouraging residents to identify and report “brown people” in the Pacific Coast community, especially those believed to be undocumented.
The letter, titled Brown Round-up Part 1, told recipients to record the license plate numbers of cars driven by people of color to identify people who may not have permanent legal status, the New York Times reported. It instructed readers to send that information to the Department of Homeland Security after Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“This type of behavior is harmful, divisive and inconsistent with the values we uphold as public servants and community members,” Curtis Landers said in a statement about the letter. “Targeting individuals in this way undermines trust and undermines the sense of safety and inclusivity we strive to maintain in Lincoln County.”
The sheriff urged community members to “do the right thing and approach such reports with compassion,” and strongly advised against participating in the activities described in the letter.
Landers emphasized his office’s commitment to diversity, equity and Oregon law regarding immigration enforcement, which prohibits the collection or sharing of information based on demographic or perceived immigration status.
“Our mission is to increase public safety, reduce the fear and impact of crime, and improve the quality of life for all,” the sheriff said. “Diversity strengthens our communities, and we are proud to grow and thrive alongside the people we serve.”
Related: Immigrant rights groups are gearing up to fight Trump’s mass deportation plan
Susan Wahlke, the mayor of Lincoln City, said she too had received the letter, according to news station KATU 2. So did the mayor of Toledo and Toledo city council members.
Landers said he received it in his personal mailbox last week. “I believe this has something to do with President Trump’s takeover in January, because the letter was actually referencing the largest immigration action,” he told the news station.
Lincoln County Commissioner Claire Hall told the newspaper she was “shocked” by the correspondence.
“There aren’t enough bad things to say about this kind of anonymous whimsy that the writer advocates,” Hall said.
The letter comes as Trump has promised an unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration, including “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan, said last week that he expects to need at least 100,000 beds in immigration detention centers.
“I’m telling you we need at least 100,000 beds because we have a large population that we have to go after… 700,000 criminals alone,” Homan told CNN. Homan said the deportation plans require help from the entire government, including the Defense Department.
“The landing teams have just started working with the agencies and departments. We will be gathering information, a lot of information, in the coming weeks that will help me in my planning process,” Homan said.
