Flagstaff police officials say deportation letters are fake

MELINA ZUÑIGA

Law-enforcement officials in northern Arizona say letters that residents received this week warning them that they may be deported are fake.

The Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating a letter sent to some residents warning them of imminent deportation if they are reported to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office or the Flagstaff Police Department.

The letter states it was sent by the “Legal Americans Surveillance Citizens Project” and that the northern Arizona lawenforcement officers are being deputized as official U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

The statements made in the letter are false, according to Flagstaff and Coconino County officials.

“It will continue to be the Flagstaff Police Department’s philosophy to not engage in general ‘round ups’ of undocumented persons,” Flagstaff police said in a statement. “No officers with the Flagstaff Police Department have been deputized as ICE officers.”

According to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, none of their employees are deputized as ICE officials either.

The Police Department is investigating whether certain people are being targeted due to race or ethnicity. Police are asking anyone who received a letter to report it to police.