Copyright independent
Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is facing criticism over a racially insensitive Halloween costume, after she was pictured at a party on Friday dressed in traditional Mexican attire, accompanied by a date dressed as an ICE agent. The MAGA politician was spotted at the party in Loveland, Colorado, wearing a sombrero and holding up a chalkboard sign that read: “Mexican Word of the Day: Juicy. Tell me if juicy ICE coming.” Her boyfriend, real estate broker Kyle Pearcy, was dressed as an ICE operative in camouflage uniform, flack jacket, and baseball cap. The Independent has contacted Rep. Boebert’s office, the DHS, and ICE for comment. In a statement to The Denver Post, Boebert’s office said, “It’s a Halloween costume. Tell our senators to vote for the CR [continuing resolution] and open the government. They are choosing to let millions of American families suffer.” President Donald Trump has appropriated the sombrero over the last month for use in a series of memes mocking House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, most recently on a spoof MySpace page, as part of his attempt to blame Democrats for the government shutdown. Boebert’s choice of costume appeared to be marrying that trend with a reference to the administration’s nationwide crackdown on undocumented migrants, which has principally targeted the Hispanic populations of Democrat-run cities. Among those posting pictures from the party was Trisha Calvarese, a Democrat running to unseat Boebert, who wrote on X: “Lauren Boebert put more effort into a hateful Halloween party costume than she ever has into serving the people of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.” A person who was present at the party told ABC News, “It is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Even the conservatives [at the party] were in shock. People avoided them.” Also responding was Stacy Suniga, the president of the Latino Coalition of Weld County in Colorado, who told The Post: “She should be ashamed of herself. Though I believe she is incapable of any emotion that generates human decency. Her bigotry and ignorance are clearly evident in her chosen apparel this day.” State Sen. Julie Gonzales, co-chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, urged Boebert to apologize and said she “should know that our culture is not a costume and being bilingual is an asset, not a joke.” “The Latino Caucus was made aware of the photo on Saturday and members were outraged,” Gonzales told the Post. “We immediately began conversations within our caucus of how we wanted to respond. “Congresswoman Boebert chose to mock our community, co-opt our culture, and make a sick joke while immigrant Coloradans with lawful immigration status in her own district… are being detained by ICE after doing everything that has been asked of them.” The congresswoman is no stranger to controversy, having previously caused outrage by alleging that Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, is a “suicide bomber” and by getting herself thrown out of a performance of a Beetlejuice musical in Denver in September 2023 for vaping in the auditorium and causing a disturbance.
