The Suffolk Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is investigating racist graffiti found scrawled in Central Islip.

A vandal left behind the words “kill illegals” in spray paint. The hateful message was found Wednesday outside an empty church, near the corner of Gullhaven Drive and Robbins Road.

State Sen. Monica Martinez first posted about the graffiti on X, formerly known at Twitter. She wrote in a statement,

“The hateful vandalism found in Central Islip defies what this community represents and the values we share.”

Islip Town Councilman Jorge Guadrón represents the area, which he says is approximately 75% Hispanic. Guadrón fears the racist graffiti could escalate to violence.

Guadrón said, “This is dangerous because if somebody doesn’t know me and embraces this type of rhetoric and ideology, once they find me they can accost me and try to hurt me based on these ideas.”

Several hate crime detectives were seen at the site of the vandalism. No arrests have been made.