The New York Times is reporting the Census Bureau secretly gave the Department of Homeland Security detailed information on how many people of Arab backgrounds live in certain ZIP codes.

One list provided a breakdown of Arab-American populations, sorted by country of origin, in each zip code. Another set listed every city that had a population of more than 1,000 Arab-Americans.

The Department of Homeland Security claimed the information was not used for law enforcement purposes but to help the agency determine which airports to post signs in Arabic.

The Times reports the Census Bureau broke no laws as long as they did not identify any individuals.

During World War II the Census Bureau shared information about Japanese-Americans which helped federal officials round up people for internment camps.

A former census director Kenneth Prewitt criticized the decision to share the information about Arab Americans. He said “In World War II we violated our principles even if we didn’t violate the law, and we assured people we wouldn’t do it again.”