GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert Faces Heavy Criticism Over Halloween Costume Referencing ICE Crackdown

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who represents Colorado's 4th Congressional District, is facing backlash over the Halloween costumes she and her partner, Kyle Pearcy, a Colorado real estate broker, wore at a recent event.

According to photos obtained by several media outlets, the 38-year-old congresswoman wore a dress resembling traditional Mexican attire and a sombrero. She also carried a sign referencing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Photos circulating online from another public event the couple attended that same night show a chalkboard sign, which a party guest told ABC News had been hanging on the back of a chair and was out of frame in the original images.

"Mexican word of the day: JUICY. Tell me if... juicy ICE coming," the sign read, appearing to mock the pronunciation of "you see." Pearcy, her boyfriend, wore a vest and hat referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and dressed in military-style gear.

"It is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. Even the conservatives at the party were in shock. People avoided them," one attendee told ABC News.

In a statement to the outlet, Boebert's office said, "It's a Halloween costume. Tell our senators to vote for the CR and open the government. They are choosing to let millions of American families suffer."

While Boebert's office dismissed the controversy as harmless, Latino advocacy groups in Colorado called the costume racist and deeply inappropriate.

"It is unbecoming of an elected official, and she is failing to recognize the trauma and harm that she, her party, and the Trump administration have caused to thousands of Coloradans," said Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas, a nonpartisan organization that mobilizes Latino voters, in an interview with CPR News.

Similarly, Sonny Subia, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, also criticized Boebert's costume and voiced frustration toward those who defended or supported it.

"It's just disappointing to see that you have elected officials laughing at people who have been separated from their families and their children," Subia said. "I mean, come on."

Subia said his concern was not with Boebert's clothing itself but with the sign and her boyfriend's costume, which he said crossed the line.

"I was offended," Subia said. "It's just childish."

The controversy comes as recent reports suggest that President Donald Trump's support among Latino voters is declining.

According to a national survey conducted by Global Strategy Group for Somos Votantes, a Latino voter advocacy organization, Trump's overall favorability among Latino voters has fallen by 20 points, continuing a downward trend since earlier this year.

His job approval dropped from minus 11 in February to minus 23 in September, while approval of his handling of the economy fell from minus 13 to minus 26 during the same period.

Subia said many Latinos shifted toward Republicans in 2024 because of economic concerns.

"Those kitchen table issues haven't gotten any better, and they've gotten worse," Subia said. "And when they make fun of our culture, when Boebert does that, they're showing their true colors. It's going to be hard for them to win back the Latino community."