Politics and Halloween often come together to make for some pretty interesting and timely costumes. Unfortunately, this year one such costume’s attempt at humor has left many feeling offended.
Immigrant rights activists across the U.S. are asking a number of retailers to stop selling the controversial “Illegal Alien” costume, saying the getup is a blatant attack on undocumented immigrants.
The “Illegal Alien Adult Costume,” manufactured by Forum novelties, consists of an orange, prison-like, jumpsuit, with “Illegal Alien” written across the chest; a space alien mask and a fake Green Card. The “Illegal Alien Mask with Hat” also includes a space alien mask, but this time it features a dark handlebar mustache and a baseball cap.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) said it began receiving e-mails regarding the costumes on Friday. CHIRLA then wrote a letter asking a number of retailers, including Target, Walgreens, and Amazon.com, to remove the costume from their shelves.
As of Saturday afternoon, Target had complied with CHIRLA’s requests, and some links to the costume were disabled on other sites as well.
After pulling the “Illegal Alien” costume from their shelves and website, a Target statement was released saying: “It is never our intent to offend the consumers with the products we offer.”
Jorge-Mario Cabrera, the director of communications for CHIRLA, said “this was an ignorant attempt to poke fun at a small community.”
In addition to CHIRLA’s efforts, other Hispanic organizations have weighed in urging the national retailers to pull the offensive costumes from its shelf. The United Farm Workers (UFW) has used their Facebook page to draw attention to the issue. As of this past weekend, according to their site, Amazon.com continues to sell the illegal alien costume. Organizers are asking the public to sign a petition to the company.
“The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American”
‘In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith
becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an
exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against
any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is
predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American,
and nothing but an American….There can be no divided allegiance here.
Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t
an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…
We have room for but one language here, and that is the English
language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a
loyalty to the American people.’
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Illegal immigrants are a drain to this country. They wave the flags of their homeland, don’t bother to learn our language, and bring their third-world mentality. The must ALL be deported!