U.S. Official Apologizes For Costume

"Most Original" Award At Halloween Party Goes To White Man In Prison Stripes, Dreadlocks, Dark Makeup

(AP)  A top immigration official has apologized after awarding "most original costume" to a Homeland Security Department employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup for a Halloween gathering at the agency.

Julie Myers, assistant secretary overseeing Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, was part of a three-judge panel that lauded the costume, worn by a white employee, on Wednesday. She also posed for a photo with him.

Myers apologized to employees Friday in an e-mail, saying some costumes were found to be offensive. On Friday, she called the National Association of African Americans in DHS to inform the group of what had happened, according to a letter sent to association members by the group's vice president, Sjon Shavers.

"I and the senior management at ICE deeply regret that this happened," Myers said in her e-mail, which Homeland Security's public affairs office provided to The Associated Press. "As the head of the agency, I have the responsibility to ensure every employee is a valued member of the ICE team."

The agency Myers heads is responsible for apprehending and jailing violators of immigration and customs laws, including conducting raids at work sites to round up undocumented workers.

The employee who wore the costume was not identified, but ICE spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said he was counseled by his supervisor. He was not wearing blackface but makeup that was a darker color than his skin, Nantel said.

Myers and others who saw him could not tell he was wearing makeup, Nantel said, and they learned he wore makeup when some employees complained later that day.

The photo of Myers with the employee and any others taken by the official photographer showing the costume were discarded, Nantel said.

Shavers, an ICE special agent, said he learned of the incident from Myers and that his group had not received any complaints.

"These kinds of things, incidents, happen all the time, so we handle them on a case-by-case basis," Shavers said.

Lisa Navarrete, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, a national Hispanic civil rights organization, said it was completely appropriate for Myers to apologize.

"He was clearly trying to not be Caucasian. How dark or light he is, is beside the point. It is a costume that people did find and would find offensive that was sanctioned by the executives," Navarrete said. "There's obviously a sensitivity issue that ICE needs to address with its own staff."

[iceman_1960]

"If this is offensive...then why isn''''t it offensive for Michael Jackson to impersonate a white man?
- Posted by One_American at 03:36 PM : Nov 06, 2007

Maybe because Michael Jackson isn"t a high ranking member of the Bush administration ????

[libsluvsuvs]

this is so idiotics!!

these racial advocates are always looking around to lynch..you look hard enough they would find one..

how about this..a ''darkskinned dreadlocked" man in a business suit??

[tbweb]

Where does Bush find these people.

Posted by kansas1946 at 07:56 PM : Nov 06, 2007,,,

You want the truth? These people live a sheltered life, not much exposure to all the cultures that make up the U.S., then some hear off color remarks from their parents and maybe their peers too and suddenly one day this person is released out into the real World and finds themselves dealing with the real multi-cultured America and finally all those "questionable and acceptable" behavior patterns, remarks and attitudes don''t fit and some affected culture gets offended while the offender still seems puzzled that someone finds something wrong! True!

[kansas1946]

A top immigration official has apologized after awarding "most original costume" to a Homeland Security Department employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup for a Halloween gathering at the agency.

Julie Myers, assistant secretary overseeing Homeland Security''s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, was part of a three-judge panel that lauded the costume, worn by a white employee, on Wednesday. She also posed for a photo with him.
***********************

LOL. It seems like all of the Bush appointees spend more time apologizing than getting any work done. Although I don''t find thie faux pas quite as dramatic and the liberals would like to make it, you would think that anyone in that high of a position would have more sense. She looks about 16, maybe that is the problem. Where does Bush find these people.

[my2centss]

No wonder anxiety drugs are selling so well now. Worried all the time that you might say or do something that was ok last year might be un-PC this year.

[grammawhamma]

If this is offensive...then why isn''''t it offensive for Michael Jackson to impersonate a white man?

Political correctness is a product of liberal ideology.

Posted by One_American at 03:36 PM : Nov 06, 2007

Gee...and all this time I thought he was trying to impersonate a white woman.

[adian1-2009]

She acted in bad judgment, and she has apologized. That should be enough. No big deal. That the US is mainly racist? Yes. It has been for centuries, and it will remain like that for centuries to come. It is not only in the US, it is getting roots in other places of Europe. Whites are foreigners in America. Blacks are foreigners in America. Hispanics are foreing in America. But all of them are racists. Not every individual, certainly. But as groups, they certainly are. We all are. It should not be, but it IS.

Rafterman1, very well put. Until the end of time, we as whites are going to have to suffer for what happened in the past. Not only to Blacks, but the Native Americans, Chineese, Hispanics and so on. Btt sometimes enough is enough. I was watching a program on TV the other day that had interviews of Rap artists. During the interview, they cut away to some shots from recording studio. During the conversations between the four blacks there, they had to bleep out the "N" word about twenty times or more. Referring to each other as that, calling each other "MY N word and so on. Seems to me, if they are so insulted but that particular word from society, then why do they contantly use it to refer to each other. Sounds like a double standard to me. Seems to me also they have accepted it and are moving on.

[michaelt302]

This is pure political correctness. And political correctness is a mental disorder. And the best way to beat this kind of disorder, is to blatantly disregard it, and go in the opposite direction. If enough people try to hang on to their freedom of speech rights, and say and do anything they want, then this PC bullsh*t will go away on it''s own. Liberals continually beat the rest of us over the head with the %u201CPC%u201D mallet, simply because they see that it works. Someone says or does something that''s "insensitive"? Beat him down. Suppress him. Make him fearful to do it again. And make an example out of him. I say, refuse to acknowledge this cr*ap. Read and celebrate non-PC, such as The Onion and Tucker Max and any solid satire you can get your hands on. Refuse to let liberals steal your right to free expression. Wear an "offensive" or edgy t-shirt. Your rights are being eroded, slowly and surely, by mentally deranged liberals. Take them back.

[autumngold-2009]

Ridiculous. I fail to see any racial issue here and am left wondering is something like this worth an apology? Racial issues do exist in our society unfortunately, but let''s save the news stories for those that really matter.