A photo of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert at a Halloween party has drawn criticism over the Colorado congresswoman’s Mexican-themed costume. The outfit included a sombrero, a dress, and a sign that made light of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The photo circulated on social media over the weekend, sparking backlash from Latino advocacy groups.
In the image, Boebert is dressed in what appears to be a traditional Mexican-style outfit and holds a sign with a message that uses a crass play on words invoking a stereotyped Mexican accent. The sign reads: “Mexican Word of the Day: Juicy. Tell me if juicy ICE coming,” an apparent pun on “Tell me if you see ICE coming.” ICE stands for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Standing near her in the photo is a man dressed as an ICE agent.
The costume drew condemnation from Latino advocacy groups in Colorado. Stacy Suniga, president of the Latino Coalition of Weld County, said, “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.”
Boebert represents a portion of Weld County in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. According to the Colorado Redistricting Commission, the Eastern Plains-centered district was at least 14% Latino as of the 2020 census, having the lowest Latino representation among the state’s eight congressional districts. The 4th District also includes populous Douglas County.
Boebert has generated headlines before for charged commentary and personal behavior that have proven embarrassing enough to prompt apologies. However, this time she did not apologize. When asked about the Halloween photo, Boebert responded through a spokesperson, saying, “It’s a Halloween costume.” She declined to answer several questions posed by The Denver Post related to the photo and instead criticized Democrats for repeatedly voting against a short-term spending bill, called a continuing resolution, aimed at ending the federal government shutdown.
“Tell our Senators to vote for the CR and open the government,” she said. “They are choosing to let millions of American families suffer.”
Four years ago, Boebert apologized after a video circulated on X (formerly Twitter) showing her implying that Rep. Ilhan Omar, a fellow member of Congress and a Muslim, could be a suicide bomber. She also apologized more recently for her behavior during a September 2023 performance of the “Beetlejuice” musical in Denver, where she was caught vaping, groping her date, and flipping off Buell Theatre staff after they asked her to leave.
Trisha Calvarese, a Democrat who lost to Boebert last fall for the 4th District seat and is running again in 2026, condemned the congresswoman over the weekend. “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,” Calvarese said on X.
State Sen. Julie Gonzales, co-chair of the Colorado Democratic Latino Caucus, called on Boebert to apologize, emphasizing 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 wrote to The Denver Post on Monday. “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, such as fifth-grade teacher Marina Ortiz, are being detained by ICE after doing everything that has been asked of them.”
Gonzales was referring to an incident late last month when Ortiz, who teaches at Global Village Academy in Parker, was detained with her family during a check-in appointment at an ICE field office. The school confirmed that Ortiz had legal authorization to live and work in the United States.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/11/03/lauren-boebert-halloween-costume-mexican-ice-immigration/