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ATLANTA — The FBI is investigating racist and offensive text messages being sent to Hispanic individuals and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities, according to a statement released by the bureau.
It comes after the FBI earlier this month reported that racist messages were being sent to Black communities around the country following the election.
“The text message recipients have now expanded to high school students, as well as both the Hispanic and LGBTQIA+ communities. Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp. The messages have also been reported as being received via email communication,” a statement released by the FBI said.
At the Latino American Association in Atlanta, CEO Santiago Marquez has a simple message to his community.
“Don’t panic over this message,” Marquez said.
He said the threats in the texts are fake, but he described worry for those in fear of being deported as immigration policies are expected to change from the Biden to Trump administrations.
“It is really sad to prey on vulnerable people, people that already feel like they’re vulnerable,” Marquez said of the texts. “They seem to be easy targets, so that is really sad.”
RELATED: Offensive messages target LGBTQ+, Hispanic groups, FBI says
The messages being reported by the FBI come from an unknown source or sources. They have been sent after President-elect Donald Trump recently touted his plan to initiate mass deportations on his first day back in the White House in January.
For the Latino American Association, the focus remains on immigration rights outreach and education.
“There is obviously fear and confusion. I think for us it is obviously important to just give the community facts so they know what we know,” Marquez said.
“Disappointment, but also its reality that there is a lot of work we need to do,” Geovani Serrano said when asked about the texts sent to Hispanic individuals.
Serrano works with the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights. He said they’re responding in similar fashion as the LAA. Word of offensive texts are evoking concern at GLAHR, but as the organization has done for years they’re committed to organizing and educating Latinos in Georgia to know their rights and navigate the immigration process.
“Unfortunate that this is taking place, we feel like it is a wake-up call for many community members to organize their neighborhoods, organize where we live to protect each other,” Serrano said.
The FBI is asking anyone receiving the offensive texts or with information about the messages to contact the FBI at 1800-CALL-FBI.
RELATED: Racist texts telling people to report to plantations triggers FBI investigation
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