Outrage As Racist Fliers Target Immigrants In Kentucky

Authorities in Kentucky are investigating the distribution of racist fliers that target immigrants, allegedly issued by the Ku Klux Klan, which called on immigrants to “leave now” and “avoid deportation.” The fliers were found in multiple northern Kentucky cities, including Bellevue, Ludlow, and Fort Wright, on January 20, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.

The fliers, which sparked widespread outrage, depicted a cartoon of Uncle Sam kicking a family while announcing a “Mass Deportation” and urged residents to “Monitor & Track all Immigrants” and “REPORT THEM ALL.” The materials, shared by local police, also included phone numbers linked to Klan groups across Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

Bellevue Police Chief Jon McClain described the discovery as “alarming for our community,” expressing shock over the hateful content. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” McClain told The Washington Post.

The materials were swiftly condemned by local officials. Fort Wright Mayor Dave Hatter called the fliers “hateful garbage,” declaring that such messages “do not represent the Fort Wright community” or the region’s values. Hatter insisted that the racist materials should “not be tolerated by our society as a whole.”

Ludlow Police acknowledged that although the fliers were legally protected under the First Amendment, they would pursue criminal charges if they could identify the perpetrators. The department also reported receiving a harassment complaint linked to the fliers. In Bellevue, McClain indicated the possibility of littering charges for those responsible.

The Ku Klux Klan has a long history of distributing propaganda in Kentucky and surrounding states, often as part of its recruitment efforts. In September 2024, the Trinity White Knights, a Klan splinter group, had circulated similar materials in Covington, Kentucky. The latest fliers also appeared in northern Indiana in November 2024, where they offered Klan membership applications and materials for just $1. One flyer found in Bellevue even attacked Martin Luther King Jr., calling him a “fraud” and “traitor to our country.”

A Bellevue resident, who discovered one of the fliers in the snow on Monday, expressed deep concern, particularly for immigrant friends who had recently become U.S. citizens. McClain noted that the resident was “distressed and concerned” about the impact of such messages on the community.

The timing of the flier distribution, coinciding with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, has led to suspicions that the Klan’s actions were intended to exploit the political climate. Trump, known for his hardline stance on immigration, signed an executive order on his first day in office aimed at ending birthright citizenship and promised the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history.

“It’s no coincidence,” McClain said, referencing the appearance of the fliers on Inauguration Day. The release of the materials may have been aimed at aligning with Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, which has dominated much of his administration’s early agenda.

Adding to the tensions, a recorded voicemail linked to an Ohio-based Klan group underscored the anti-immigrant sentiment of the fliers. The message ominously stated, “In January, the world’s going to change for a lot of people, especially the immigrants in Springfield, Ohio,” likely targeting the Haitian community that had been the focus of right-wing attacks leading up to the election.

The Ku Klux Klan has a dark and violent history in the United States, responsible for countless acts of terror, hate, and intimidation against Black people, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. President Trump condemned the group in 2017, calling them “repugnant” after facing widespread backlash for his initial failure to denounce white supremacist groups following the Charlottesville rally that year.

As authorities continue to investigate the origin and distribution of the fliers, local residents and officials remain committed to ensuring that such hateful rhetoric does not take root in their communities.