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Tan D. Nguyen, a Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez responds to questions Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006, in Garden Grove, Calif., about letters sent to thousands of Orange County Hispanics warning them they could go to jail or be deported if they vote next month. Nguyen said Thursday that he was not personally involved in sending the letter, a mailing that prompted a state investigation. (AP Photo/Ric Francis) (Ric Francis - AP)

Near Garden Grove in Santa Ana, Hispanic and Vietnamese leaders condemned the letter and said it should not become a wedge that drives their communities apart. They urged the secretary of state to send a letter to homes that received the mailing to clear up any questions about voter rights.

"This letter reminds us of what we were running away from in Vietnam, where people can't vote the way they want," said Xuyen Dong, who heads the Orange County chapter of the Vietnamese Professional Society.

Nguyen's campaign Web site says he was born in 1973 in Vietnam, where his family fled the Communist regime.

In 2004, he unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary to challenge GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in a heavily Republican coastal district. He later changed his party affiliation and declared his bid to upset Sanchez; he has made his opposition to illegal immigration a centerpiece of his campaign.

Orange County for years has been a battleground on immigration issues.

One founder of the Minuteman civilian border patrol group ran for Congress here, and cities have debated issues such as the value of public centers for day laborers and the use of local police to arrest illegal immigrants.

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Associated Press writers Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles and Don Thompson in Sacramento contributed to this report.