The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday that a spate of offensive text messages sent out in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the Nov. 5 presidential election and apparently aimed at Black Americans had expanded to target Latino and 2SLGBTQ+ people.
In a statement, the bureau said it was aware of the messages, many of which used ethnic slurs and instructed the recipients to pick cotton, a reference to past enslavement of Black people in the United States.
The FBI said on Friday that a new wave of messages was sent to Latinos and 2SLGBTQ+ people, and that “some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp.”
The texts, some of which referenced Trump’s election win, drew widespread revulsion after several recipients shared them on social media last week. The Trump campaign has said it has nothing to do with the messages.
Trump, a Republican, beat out Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the presidential race, winning the popular vote and the electoral college and capturing all seven swing states, which had been expected to be tightly fought contests. Republicans also won control of the U.S. Senate and retained control of the House.
Both federal and state authorities have said they are investigating the recent text messages. They have not said anything about who might be behind them or how many people have received them.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, has pledged to end federal diversity and inclusion programs, and that has prompted fears among some Black Americans that they could soon be facing a rollback of some civil rights.
