An anonymous letter circulating around Lincoln County, Oregon is reportedly encouraging residents to track and report “brown folks” they suspect to be in the country illegally, according to media reports.
The letter – which wound up in the mailboxes of several county officials – was roundly condemned in recent days by state and local leaders as “racist” and unhelpful, ABC News reported. The outlet added that the anonymous letter is littered with typos and makes various threatening statements against undocumented immigrants.
“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office recently learned about a letter being circulated throughout Lincoln County which encourages community members to track and report information regarding people of color, specifically community members that are believed to be undocumented,” Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers wrote in a Facebook post.
“We want to be unequivocal in our stance: this type of behavior is harmful, divisive, and inconsistent with the values we uphold as public servants and community members,” he said. “Targeting individuals in this manner erodes trust and undermines the sense of safety and inclusion that we strive to maintain in Lincoln County.”
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Portland news station KPTV Fox 12 reported that the letter – known as “The Brown Round Up, Part 1” – began appearing in mailbox across several coastal Oregon towns last week. The startling messaging campaign comes just weeks before Donald Trump is set to reclaim the White House with promises to usher in the “largest deportation” of undocumented immigrants in American history.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, said the state – which voted by double-digits to elect Vice President Kamala Harris last month – wouldn’t tolerate attempts to divide it.
“Attempts to intimidate our communities and their leaders through racist letter writing campaigns has no place in Oregon, and we will continue to stand together in opposition to those who seek to divide us,” Rosenblum said in a statement. “It is time to rise above these despicable tactics and demonstrate the true spirit of inclusivity and compassion that defines the Oregon way.”
Rod Cross, the mayor of Toledo, Oregon said at a Dec. 18 city council meeting that he had recently received the letter in his own mailbox with an invalid return address, ABC News reported.
“That letter, obtained by ABC News, warns that in the latter part of January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security will begin ‘the largest round-up of brown illegals in our history,’” the report said