Target Corporation, the fifth largest retailer in the U.S., offered a rather unique Halloween costume this year that has caused quite a firestorm. The adult costume, only available for purchase online, has become so controversial that the mega-retailer has pulled it from their website.
The offending item, dubbed The Illegal Alien, consists of a rubber space alien mask, an orange prison-style jumpsuit and a green card. The product description for the costume states, “He didn’t just cross a border, he crossed a galaxy.”
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition of Humane Rights of Los Angeles called the costume “distasteful, mean-spirited, and ignorant of social stigmas and the current debate on immigration reform.”
Target spokesperson Joshua Thomas told the media that the item was entered into their online system by mistake and was never intended to be offered for sale. He assured reporters that Target has a strict screening process with their suppliers and that the company moved swiftly to remove the offending item after they realized their error.
A quick check of the internet shows that other retailers are offering up the Illegal Alien one-size-fits-all costume for $39.99. Will Walgreen’s, Toys R Us and Amazon cave as well? Should be interesting.
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