Flap Over Halloween Costume at DHS party
Homeland Security Official Apologizes for "offensive" Outfit
By SUZANNE GAMBOA
Nov. 5, 2007—
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, last Wednesday. She also posed for a photo with him.
Myers apologized to employees last 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.
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3824931--------------------------------
The photo of Myers and the employee has been discarded. Myers has been sharply criticized for her lack of qualifications to head the division. She is the niece of former Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers and married to U.S. attorney in Missouri John F. Wood, who was Michael Chertoff’s former top aide. 9:45 am
http://thinkprogress.org/
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