An alarming Halloween display in Houston showcases effigies of federal immigration agents donned in red hats reminiscent of MAGA apparel, suspended from gallows. This controversial exhibit has ignited criticism, coming just days after a surge in anti-ICE sentiment resulted in a fatal shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas.
The front-yard installation, located in the predominantly Hispanic Second Ward neighborhood of Harris County, features mannequins in red hats hanging from a homemade gallows adorned with a small Mexican flag, as reported by Fox News.
The mannequins are dressed in black shirts, tan pants, and wearing face masks with zip ties tucked into their pockets, which many perceive as a representation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Flanking the gallows are two coffins, and a mannequin dressed as a hangman, complete with a straw hat and colorful poncho, looms over another dummy that appears to have its hands bound.
This unsettling display is surrounded by barbed wire, as shown in video footage.
Social media has erupted with tens of thousands expressing their disapproval of the shocking display; one particularly disturbed X user stated in a viral message, âThis hateful display is likely to incite violence. It crosses the line of free expression. Those responsible should be prosecuted.â
The disturbing decorations are facing backlash as conservatives continue to call attention to rising violence and an upsurge in inflammatory political speech from the left, which has correlated with actual incidents of shooting.
Joshua Jahn, the anti-ICE gunman, opened fire on a van at the Dallas ICE facility last Wednesday, resulting in one detainee’s death and injuries to two others before he turned a Nazi-style battle rifle on himself, as reported by law enforcement. He had marked his bullets with âANTI ICE.â
The night just before the shooting incident, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom criticized ICE during an appearance on âThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.â
âThese arenât merely authoritarian tendencies; these actions are indicative of an authoritarian regime,â he expressed to the CBS host.
âThis is happening in the United States. Masked individuals leaping from unmarked vehicles, citizens vanishing, no due process, no oversight, no accountability whatsoever,â continued Newsom.
âSome people question whether this is hyperbole regarding authoritarianism. Itâs absolutely not,â he asserted.
On Tuesday, Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar, called for the abolition of ICE, branding the agents as âvileâ and âcruelâ in a now-deleted post on X.
Mario Castillo, the councilman for District H, which encompasses the home’s location and is backed by local progressive groups, did not respond to The Postâs request for comment, nor did Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
