Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch Faces Backlash Over Halloween Display Depicting ICE Raid, Wife Michelle Says It Was Her Idea [PHOTOS]

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch is facing public outrage after a Halloween display outside his Alabama home featured skeletons dressed as ICE agents chasing “Mexican” skeletons wearing sombreros and serapes over a fence.

Photos of the display circulated online after a neighbor, Whitney Newman, posted them on Facebook, accusing the sheriff of racism and mocking minorities.

“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,” Newman wrote.
“Coming from a law enforcement official makes it exponentially worse.”

The controversial setup shows three skeletons in ICE shirts pursuing two others in stereotypical Mexican attire attempting to scale a fence. Newman said it “crossed a line from tasteless joke into a public statement about who deserves dignity,” calling on Burch to “practice what he preaches.”

Mobile county Sheriff Paul Burch ICE Halloween display featuring fleeing Mexican skeletons being chased by ICE agents leads to accusations of racism.

Following the backlash, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, directing media inquiries to Burch’s wife, Michelle, who is of Cuban descent.

In a statement obtained by Fox10 News, Michelle claimed full responsibility for the display, saying her husband had no involvement:

“Every year, I make tongue-in-cheek Halloween decorations with a topical theme. My husband has nothing to do with these other than mowing around them,” she said.
“I made this one playing both on my Cuban background and ongoing changes in federal immigration enforcement.”

She added that her parents were legal immigrants and promised to replace the display soon, noting,

“I’ll make a new one shortly — we have no shortage of topics to cover.”

The display, intended as a seasonal joke, has instead reignited debate over racial sensitivity and public accountability — especially for a sitting law enforcement officer whose yard became the center of a national controversy.

Alabama sheriff critcized over Halloween ICE display featuring fleeing Mexican styled fleeing Mexicans over a fence.