Sheriff denounces flier that lists names, addresses of purported undocumented immigrants in Burien

SEATTLE -- King County Sheriff John Urquhart on Thursday denounced a flier that is being circulated in Burien showing purported undocumented immigrants' names and addresses and, in some cases, alleged crimes that they have committed from as far back as 2008.

"I have been forwarded a letter that lists individuals purported to be undocumented immigrants living in Burien and the crimes they are alleged to have committed, or in some cases just associates of the alleged perpetrators," Urquhart wrote on his Facebook page. "According to the letter, the listed crimes go all the way back to 2008.

"Most concerning, the letter lists the specific home address of these people, even though the person may not still be living at that address. And it makes no distinction about whether the person was ever convicted or not.

"Publicly disseminating this type of inflammatory information puts people at risk who likely had no connection to the crime, whether they be family members or new residents of the home.

"I find it irresponsible and dangerous to release this type of very dubious information. It puts innocent people at risk for vigilante action and unnecessarily stokes fear in the community."

Crosscut.com reported that the circulation of the flier began this week, and that the flier includes a map where undocumented immigrants are said to live.

The news site said a statewide group called Respect Washington, which is known for its anti-immigrant stance, was responsible for the flier.