Immigrants Not Amused by ''Illegal Alien'' Halloween Costume
"He didn't just cross a border, he crossed a galaxy!"
By OLSEN EBRIGHT
Updated 2:01 PM PST, Mon, Jan 11, 2010
Anyone who's walked down Santa Monica Boulevard on Halloween night is well aware there are plenty of tasteless costumes out there.
From over-sexed nuns to ... well, we can stop our list of examples at over-sexed nuns. That pretty much sums up tasteless costumes.
Well, this year, you may notice a new tasteless costume in Los Angeles: The "Illegal Alien."
"He didn't just cross a border, he crossed a galaxy!" according to the costume's description. "He's got his green card, but it's from another planet! Sure to get some laughs, the Illegal Alien Adult Costume includes an orange prison-style jumpsuit with 'Illegal Alien' printed on the front, an alien mask and a 'green card.'"
But not everyone thinks the costume is sure to get some laughs.
It's "distasteful, mean-spirited and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform," says Angelica Salas.
Salas, of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, has asked Minneapolis-based retailer Target to remove the costume from its website. Target spokesman Joshua Thomas told The Associated Press that the company is removing the costume after receiving several complaints.
But, Salas' work is far from over.
The costume also appears online at walgreens.com, toysrus.com, amazon.com, meijer.com and buycostumes.com.
Thomas told the AP that Target never intended to sell the outfit but included it in its online offerings by mistake. Sounds like we may be hearing that excuse from a few other retailers in the near future.
First Published: Oct 16, 2009 5:40 PM PST
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