Matthew Wilson
An Alabama sheriff is facing backlash over what his family calls “tongue-in-cheek” Halloween decorations. The display depicts ICE immigration officers performing a raid on immigrants in his front yard.
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His wife, who is an immigrant from Cuba herself, says the entire thing was her idea. But that hasn’t stopped Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch from getting heat for the Halloween decorations. The decorations feature three skeletons in ICE enforcement shirts confronting two skeletons in sombreros and ponchos. You can see the image of the decorations below.
Critics have called the display racist.
- “It’s hard to put into words how disappointing it is to see our elected sheriff use his own front yard to mock and dehumanize a group of people,” neighbor Whitney Newman posted on Facebook.
- “I don’t think it’s cute or funny. And coming from a law enforcement official makes it exponentially worse,” she continued, citing a quote from Burch on the law enforcement agency’s Facebook page assuring all residents “deserve to live in a safe community, without fear.”
- “This crosses a line from tasteless joke into public statement about who deserves dignity. I just wish our sheriff would practice what he preaches instead of parading racism in his front yard. We deserve better from our leaders.”
Halloween Decorations
ICE is a hotly divisive issue in this country. While her husband is facing backlash, his wife, Michelle, says that she doesn’t understand the criticism. She said the display was her idea.
- “Every year, I make tongue-in-cheek Halloween decorations with a topical theme at my home,” Michelle said in the statement, obtained by Fox10 News.
- “I like decorating for Halloween and other holidays, and rotate these decorations periodically. My husband has nothing to do with these, other than mowing the grass around them. I made this one, playing both on my Cuban background and new, needed changes in federal immigration enforcement.”
- Still, she said that she plans to make a new Halloween display. “I’ll make a new one shortly — we have no shortage of topics to cover.”
