The FBI reports messages threatening Latino and LGBTQ+ people with deportation and “re-education camps” have targeted some Americans. The agency says the messages are similar to racist texts that were sent to some Black Americans in at least 10 states after the election. Those messages threatened Black people with enslavement.
All the texts appear to have been sent by anonymous numbers to people throughout the U.S.
“Although we have not received reports of violent acts stemming from these offensive messages, we are evaluating all reported incidents and engaging with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,” the FBI announced in a statement. “We are also sharing information with our law enforcement partners and community, academia, and faith leaders.”
The FBI also stated that some threats were sent by email: “Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp.”
NBC News reports “Latino teenagers in Georgia getting texts saying they are ‘set to be deported’ by immigration authorities. A lesbian business owner receiving messages telling her she’s been assigned to an ‘LGB re-education camp’ in Las Vegas. Immigrant families are afraid to report the text messages to authorities.”
Santiago Marquez, of the Latin American Association, a Latino advocacy group in Georgia, told NBC News that he had received calls from parents saying their middle school and high school student children had received these messages.
According to a screenshot of one of the texts shared with NBC News, one of the messages reads, “You have been one of the selected immigrants that is set to be deported.” The text continued, “Our Executive ICE team will come and get you in a Brown Van.”
An ICE spokesperson told NBC News that these text messages are not from the agency. ICE does not send “random text messages to people,” the spokesperson said in a phone interview. “Sending text messages in the blind is not how us [sic] Immigration Customs Enforcement operates. We do targeted enforcements.”
Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil-rights organization, told The Washington Post that many of the text messages flagged to LULAC were sent to students in California and may have been targeting people enrolled in the University of California system.
“Our expectation is that we’re going to see more of this as we get closer to Jan. 20,” Proaño said.
Jan. 20 is president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration day.
NBC News reported the case of Diana Brier, who identifies as a lesbian, received a text message on Nov. 10 telling her to check in to Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada on Inauguration Day for an eight-week “LGB re-education camp.”
Brier shared a screenshot of the message with NBC News.
“Your new President, Donald J. Trump, looks forward to assisting you in becoming a mentally and emotionally stable member of society by eliminating lifestyles that have been detrimental to our American way of life through re-education,” the text reads. “Following the initial eight week period, those interned in the eight week LGB camp will be eligible for release dependent upon your swearing of allegiance to your president, Donald J Trump, and your oath to live a lifestyle befitting of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The message adds that lesbian, gay and bisexual people must “reproduce birthing healthy white Christian children” or be sent to transgender “work camps” for two years to life. Transgender people, the text states, will be sent to work camps indefinitely.
A spokesperson from Trump’s transition team told NBC News in an email, “We have absolutely nothing to do with these text messages.”
Text threats sent to LGBTQ+ people referencing a “re-education camp” may have referred to conversion therapy. That practice, also called reparative therapy, attempts to alter an individual’s sexual orientation or identity through various treatments. House Speaker Mike Johnson is a long-time proponent as are many GOP leaders.
As the Washington Post reported Nov. 18, it was not known how many messages were sent by the anonymous users, but thousands more messages — and the numbers sending them — were blocked by wireless carriers once they were made aware of the situation, according to Nick Ludlum, senior vice president of CTIA, a trade group for the U.S. wireless communications industry.
Ludlum said, “Providers also put protections in place to prevent these threatening messages from going through moving forward.”
The origin of these messages and how the people targeted were chosen is not yet known. Nor is why these texts and emails were sent. But the Washington Post reported that some of the messages may have been sent using TextNow, an app that allows users to make free internet-based calls and text messages, the company confirmed.
In an email to the Washington Post on Nov. 17, a spokesperson for TextNow said, “TextNow has uncovered that one or more of our accounts may have been used to send text messages in violation of our terms of service.”
The company added that once they were aware of the messages, its “trust and safety team acted quickly and disabled the related accounts in less than an hour.” But myriad posts on Reddit and to Quora online appear to show TextNow is notorious for people using the app for harassment.
Not many details have been released about these latest hate messages. The messages sent to Black people — some of which targeted Black students at universities — claimed to have been sent either by a supporter of Trump or from “the Trump administration.” Screenshots shared on social media and local news organizations showed that detail.
“This is potentially a hate crime and it’s even possible that you might call this a racially motivated violent extremist threat,” said Ken Gray, former FBI special agent.
As PGN reported last week, Trump’s election has made LGBTQ+ people fearful of reprisals.
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement, “After the election, trans Americans will have to deal with the dangerous fallout from the shameful lies and misinformation that far too many political candidates are intentionally spreading.”
The Trevor Project has seen a massive spike in crisis calls from LGBTQ+ youth following Trump’s win. The suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth saw a nearly 700% rise in communications compared to weeks prior.
Election-related concerns among young people contacting the nonprofit skyrocketed by nearly 5,200% compared to averages leading up to Election Day.
In response to the news about the text messages targeting LGBTQ+ people, The Trevor Project’s Janson Wu said it was “concerning” and “No one should have to receive unwanted harassment or misinformation on their personal devices simply because of who they are.”
In a statement Wu said, “To any LGBTQ+ young person who feels afraid or overwhelmed by this news, or about the impact of the 2024 elections more broadly, please remember that you are not alone.”
Trump stated Nov. 18 that he would institute martial law to begin deportations and has been strident about curtailing LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S.
Brier told NBC News she spoke with a Las Vegas FBI agent after her friend reported the text to the bureau. According to Brier, the agent did not know where the text came from, if other LGBTQ people in the Las Vegas-area were being targeted, or if the text originated from the same person or group targeting Black and Latino people. Brier said the FBI advised her to spread the word about her story to others in the LGBTQ+ community and encourage others to speak out.
“Every marginalized population just seems like they’re going to be very embattled for quite some time,” Brier said. “I really just want the community to know that it’s OK to report these.”
Anyone who receives these messages is encouraged to file a report with the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.