Slogans, which appeared in the Grange estate over the weekend, included swastikas and C18 (Combat 18) - an extreme right neo-Nazi organisation.
This newspaper understands the graffiti caused contractors carrying out repairs to vacant flats in the area for the Housing Executive to down tools for a time.
The words painted on walls read: 'No inports (sic) workers or they will be burnt in the flats' and 'There are (sic) jobs so **** of (sic)'.
The Housing Executive said it was notified of the graffiti on Monday morning.
A spokeswoman said: "The Housing Executive is aware of this graffiti painted in the Grange estate Ballyclare where our contractor is carrying out repairs to vacant flats in the area so that they can be allocated.
"The Housing Executive is working with local representatives and other agencies in an effort to resolve this issue so that this work and the day to day maintenance service for repairs to tenants' homes can continue without delay."
The spokeswoman added it was hoped that work on site could continue within the next few days.
Kathy Wolff from Newtownabbey Community Relations Forum said: "It's a shame in this day and age that people are still using these terrible tactics.
"I want to condemn this behaviour outright. There is no need for it and people should not have to feel threatened when they are carrying out a day's work.
"There are an awful lot of good people in the Grange who don't want this kind of thing happening in their area."
Ballyclare councillor Paul Girvan described the incident as 'totally deplorable'.
"I implore upon anyone who has any knowledge as to who did this to make it known to the PSNI," he said.
The graffiti comes as police this week launched an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging the reporting and awareness of hate crimes.
The advertisements carry a simple message 'nobody deserves this and nobody deserves to get away with it', with photographic images representing the five main areas of hate crime - racist, homophobic, sectarian, religious and crimes against people with disabilities. The advertisements will appear on billboards and adshels in Newtownabbey over the next six weeks.
Last December, a young couple living close to the Grange estate were forced out of their home by racist thugs. Graeme and Ajita Bowler had only moved into their new house in the Doagh Road area of the town for a matter of weeks when they were forced to flee following a petrol bomb attack.